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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24469534">When Gods Die</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/holocroning/pseuds/holocroning'>holocroning</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anti-Hero Stan Club, Arranged Marriage, Blue Spirit Zuko (Avatar), Canon Rewrite, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Slow Burn, The Dark Side of Katara, Villain Shipping, like i said slow burn but i really mean slow burn, we stan angst, we're in this for the long haul, you rise with the moon i rise with the sun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 01:55:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>45,185</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24469534</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/holocroning/pseuds/holocroning</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Five years have passed since the Avatar was ripped from the world during the Earth Kingdom's fall, and the Fire Nation reigns supreme. With her friends scattered across the land, Katara has returned to the Southern Water Tribe in hopes of rebuilding what she can from what she's lost. What she doesn't anticipate is becoming a political pawn through an arranged marriage to Prince Zuko, her loathed enemy and Crown Prince of the Fire Nation.</p><p>Canon divergent from the fall of Ba Sing Se.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Katara/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>305</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>767</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Alright, I finally watched A:tLA and fifteen years late to the party I bring you all Zutara. It took me way too long to come around to this show, and I am wrong for that. Don't really know sHiT about this sandbox I'm playing in, so bear with me and feel free to help me out with feedback. Hope you enjoyed! Follow me on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/holocroning">here</a>.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was on a chilly summer evening that the hawk arrived from beyond the southern sea. Katara was carrying a basket of freshly-harvested sea prunes from the water’s edge to the village center—eerily empty, despite being more sprawling and robust than in the days of her childhood—when it soared over her head to perch on a sill of the Fire Nation’s imperial headquarters. It was a sinister building, rising high above the igloos of her tribe and constructed of dark steel and a curving rooftop which had no place among the ice and snow. It was the eve of her nineteenth birthday, and today marked five years of Fire Nation occupation. </p><p>She nearly dropped her basket when she saw the hawk, but quickly regained composure and continued on towards her hut as though she hadn’t noticed. Five years they’d been occupied, but communication from the higher-ups to her small village was rare. The Southern Water Tribe was where the Fire Nation sent its undesirables to freeze: those weak and too-young, their bending muted and erratic. They kept their real fire power trained on Ba Sing Se and other former Earth Kingdom cities where rebellion was more likely to stir. With Katara being the only waterbender in the Southern Tribe, she knew her village wasn’t much of a threat to Fire Nation rule—even with the training they’d gleaned and fortifications they’d built with the help of their clansmen from the north.</p><p>Her father waited for her when she ducked through the door of their hut. The space was modest and intimate, a small fire burning in front of where Chief Hakoda sat on his bedroll. Between them a kettle rested on the logs, water boiling.</p><p>“A hawk just arrived,” Katara informed him.</p><p>Hakoda quirked an eyebrow, trying and failing to conceal his grimace. Communications were never good.</p><p>“I know,” she added, mirroring his expression. “We need to find out what it says. The Fire Nation never bothers with the southern outpost unless something has happened.”</p><p>“I agree,” her father nodded. “But first we should eat.” His eyes shifted to the basket she carried.</p><p>Katara frowned.</p><p>“I am certain we will know the news very shortly. Let’s enjoy some peace before we do,” her father insisted. Katara groaned, but took a seat and tossed the sea prunes into the kettle.</p><p>“No news of Sokka then?” she asked, more casually than she felt. It’d been nearly six months since her brother had left in the dead of winter under the cover of total darkness, the kind of darkness you only knew when living at the ends of the earth. Together he and Suki had made for the Northern Water Tribe with hopes of building an underground coalition.</p><p>Her father shook his head. “Sorry to disappoint.”</p><p>Katara sighed as she stirred the broth. “I didn’t expect anything anyway.” </p><p>As incredibly annoying as Sokka could be, she really missed him—and more than anything she feared for his safety. The Northern Water Tribe had it a lot worse than they did, what with all of their benders and technological advancement. After Aang’s defeat and the Fire Nation’s rise, water benders weren’t allowed outdoors after sunset, as the Fire Nation feared them drawing on moonlight to fuel rebellion. The <em> really </em>powerful benders were locked away in high towers, much like the one they’d built here, while those younger and less advanced were either forced to work drilling mines in the sea floor for no wages or conscribed to the military. Threats of personal harm to family members or slow torture at Boiling Rock—a water bender’s nightmare—kept folks in line. Oh, how she longed for the days of traveling with her friends, the Avatar’s power still alive in the world and kindling hope for all.</p><p>“Here,” Chief Hakoda said, scooping two ladels of the stew into a bowl and passing it to Katara.</p><p>Katara stared at it, her appetite suddenly gone. Her eyes flickered up to her father. “Do...do you think we’d know? If they’d found him?” </p><p>“You mean your brother? Or the Avatar?” Hakoda murmured, drawing a sip of stew.</p><p>“Both, I guess,” Katara replied with a shrug. She’d meant Aang, but the question could just as well apply to Sokka. It’d been unlawful what her brother had done, leaving unaccounted for and without permission. In doing so he’d become a wanted criminal, an enemy of the Fire Nation. They’d granted her and Sokka conditional pardon for aiding the Avatar, given that they helped their tribe acquiesce to Fire Nation rule and he’d thrown it back in their face.</p><p>“No,” came her father’s cool reply. Katara’s expression soured, but her heart couldn’t really feel any heavier. It wasn’t like she expected anything else.</p><p>She had just lifted the bowl of stew to her lips when the sound of the Fire Nation’s horagai rent the air, calling the tribe to gather in the village center. She and her father shared a look of thinly-veiled dread before standing and exiting the hut—both eager to hear the news. Together they made their way down the path to the ice fountain in the settlement’s center.</p><p>Commander Kang—the highest-ranking Fire Nation official in the settlement—stood in the village center, his broad form flanked by nearly every lieutenant and private Katara could recognize from their station. One hand curled angrily around the horagai which he’d used to call them, while the other was balled into a fist on which the hawk sat comfortably, its talons closed around his. “We’ve received word,” he started, before the rest of the village had finished trickling in, “That there has been an uprising.” His voice was soft, tongue wrapping around every syllable.</p><p>Katara couldn’t restrain the small gasp that escaped her lips as she stole a glance at her father. His face was stony, eyes trained on the Commander’s cruel, narrow features. The high collar he wore and the sharp edges of his armor gave him an air of violence.</p><p>“An uprising among your fellows in the north,” he continued, jolting the hawk into the sky. Its great wings carried it upwards to find a perch on the headquarters’ roof. <em> Sokka </em>, Katara thought. Her palms turned clammy. “They have committed a treasonous assault on Fire Navy vessels stationed there, and tragically, lives have been lost on both sides.” Despite Kang’s words, his voice held no empathy.</p><p>At that, murmurs broke out among the villagers.</p><p>“Disgraceful, I know,” Commander Kang purred. “If it weren’t in the best interest of all of us for our nation to extract resources from these forsaken regions, I would suggest abandoning them both.” He straightened his back, lifting a hand to stroke one of his long sideburns. “But as it stands, Fire Lord Ozai finds it pertinent to remain here. Which begs the question of your cooperation. Participation, even.” </p><p>His eyes trailed over the village folk, and Katara shuddered when they briefly made eye contact.</p><p>“How are we, as your governors, to know and trust that you don’t share the Northern Tribe’s intentions? How can we sleep at night knowing you may just as quickly put knives to our throats?” The Commander’s sharp features contorted into a sneer: he was taunting them.</p><p>Katara grit her teeth, consideration for her fellow villagers the only thing keeping her from opening her big fat mouth. Her father must have noticed, because his fingers gently brushed her wrist.</p><p>“Perhaps we’ll need some leverage,” Commander Kang suggested. Just as the words left his mouth hard footfalls thudded in the snow behind them, followed by the cold sound of steel splitting the air. Three warriors surrounded her father, two of which held curved blades to either side of his throat while the third lit a small flame under his chin between his thumb and forefinger. Hakoda jerked his head away.</p><p>Katara’s heart thudded against her ribcage, suddenly all too aware of the blood rushing in her veins—in <em> their </em> veins. All around her the snow and ice hummed, begging to mobilize at the slightest call of her fingertips. She could quite literally drain the life from their bodies, crush their skulls like a glacier does a boulder if she pleased. But she wouldn’t.</p><p>Even if she could liberate her village in that instant, she’d be damning many more. The Fire Nation would retaliate; they always did, and the Avatar wasn’t coming to stop them. Neither was anybody else. Her enemies were too powerful. They’d already won.</p><p>Still, there was something she could do. “Don’t,” she instructed Commander Kang, the word out of her mouth before she could really think it through. “Use me instead.”</p><p>“Absolutely not,” Hakoda interjected, eyes darkening with an anger Katara hadn’t seen from him in years. “Take me as you please. I’ll comply.”</p><p>“I’m more of a threat. I’m the only one that can bend,” Katara spoke over her father, carefully emphasizing the last word. As much as she hated to admit it, bending made her an outcast in the village. They cared for her, and plenty of them even loved her from what she could tell—they’d raised her since infancy—but she was a liability and they knew it. There were plenty still around who remembered the day the Fire Nation had nearly wiped out the Southern Water Tribe in search of the next Avatar, slaughtering every water bender in sight. Even now it was a miracle they kept her alive. Her father on the other hand, the village trusted. He brought them stability and gave them someone to put their faith in, who reminded them of the days before occupation.</p><p>Commander Kang shrugged. “Fine by me.”</p><p>Just like that, his cronies shifted in a flash and then Katara was surrounded instead. </p><p>“No!” Hakoda exclaimed. “I refuse to let this happen.” A vein bulged out of the side of his head. “I insist that you take me.”</p><p>“Seems like we’ve struck the right nerve,” Commander Kang mused, once again twirling one of his bristly sideburns. “We’ll hold onto the girl, and if we encounter any <em> transgressions </em> so to speak she’ll be the one to suffer the consequences.”</p><p>Katara cried out as the two warriors on either side gripped her upper arms and hoisted her forward, her feet dragging behind her in the snow. The towering headquarters loomed above her and she swallowed. So they were going to lock her away.</p><p>“I told you to take me!” her father shouted behind her, and Katara’s eyes instantly brimmed with tears. Knowing her captors wouldn’t notice, she willed the tears to dissipate into vapor until her eyes were dry as parchment. She would <em> not </em> let them see her cry.</p><p>“How many have been killed?” one of the villagers asked.</p><p>“Who is responsible? Do we know them?” another chimed.</p><p>“What’s going to happen to us?” someone else murmured.</p><p>Each question was like a jolt of lightning to Katara’s heart.</p><p>“I assure you all, your safety is guaranteed so long as you follow our established protocols,” Kang replied, mouth curved in annoyance. Katara didn’t believe him one bit.</p><p>“And what will happen to our brothers? Our sisters?” one of the elders cried.</p><p>“That...is a different story, and one beyond my power or jurisdiction. That will be all for—”</p><p>“Wait,” a voice interrupted—it was Yua, one of the councilmembers. She was the oldest in the tribe, and the hush that fell over the gathering at the sound of her voice spoke volumes. “There is another way.”</p><p>Katara turned her head to glance back at the old woman, surprised.</p><p>“There is a way of brokering peace which our brothers and sisters in the north have practiced for generations. One which demands mutual consideration, that they would honor and respect. One which would cease fighting and allow us to work together,” Yua continued.</p><p>“Go on,” Kang drawled.</p><p>“Rather than keep our Katara prisoner, consider arranging a marriage. Between her and one of your own,” Yua concluded.</p><p>Katara’s blood froze in her veins.</p><p>“Interesting,” Kang replied.</p><p>That was all he said on the matter, and the word rang in her head like a death knell.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Katara snapped when they were back in the confines of their hut. “Absolutely no way.”</p><p>The Fire Nation had permitted them all to return to their dwellings, while in the interim they’d send correspondence to their authorities seeking counsel on the proposition. </p><p>“Katara, please sit down,” her father practically begged. Her mouth popped open, unaware till then that she’d been pacing angrily around the space. Stress was apparent in her father’s eyes, so she drew a deep breath and took a seat across the fire from him.</p><p>“Marry someone from the Fire Nation? Are you all <em> crazy </em>?” she continued, gesturing wildly with her hands.</p><p>“Elder Yua is wise. She comes from a different time, that is certain, but there is value in that. She has seen things we have not. Perhaps we can learn from her,” he said. Katara couldn’t help noticing the now-permanent dark circles underneath his eyes, accentuated by the firelight. Occupation had taken its toll on him. </p><p>Sweat trickled down Katara’s forehead; it was suddenly very hot. “But even the Northern Water Tribe has begun to move on from that ancient, ridiculous custom.” She thumbed over her mother’s necklace at her throat. “How can we try to move forward if we’re just going to dredge up old rotten things from the past?”</p><p>“Moving forward doesn’t necessarily mean abandoning the past. Besides, this is a different world now—the Fire Nation’s world,” her father added sternly. “It has different rules. Do not forget, Katara, the terms of your surrender. They were very merciful to you—to both of us—and we should not take that for granted.”</p><p>Katara hmphed, irritated by his tone. She wasn’t a child anymore and she didn’t like being spoken to as such. “So now I’m supposed to thank them for putting swords to our throats? I think I’ll pass.”</p><p>“That’s not what I said,” he replied. She didn’t miss how his jaw flexed.</p><p>“Sure, I’m alive but being forbidden from bending except when they <em> force </em> me to isn’t exactly something to be grateful for. They didn’t grant me mercy, they kept me alive because they needed me. They don’t know anything about our people or this place, and they all would have frozen to death years ago or been slaughtered in rebellion if it weren’t for me clearing icebergs so their supply ships can dock at our port, or helping them drill wells and build mines beneath the ice, or serving as some kind of peace offering. Do you know how that <em> feels </em>?” she demanded, voice shaking.</p><p>“No,” Chief Hakoda said. “I haven’t been in your shoes, but I understand. I am in a similar position you know. I don’t enjoy following their orders, being pushed around like we weren’t a great and autonomous village before the occupation. It’s insulting.”</p><p>Tears welled in Katara’s eyes. “I do it for all of you. <em> Not </em> for me. I should be searching for Aang, or the next Avatar, or doing whatever— <em> something, </em>ANYTHING—to fight back because I’m one of the only ones who’s actually able to, but being here is the only way I can protect you. Sokka was right,” she whispered, tears leaking down her cheeks. “This is no way to live.”</p><p>Her father grimaced and looked away. “You know they would retaliate,” he said quietly. “Even if we took victory here, they would terrorize our brothers and sisters in the north, and probably those in the Earth Kingdom too. They would make an example of us, and even more innocents would die.”</p><p>“I know,” Katara replied. Her throat was hoarse.</p><p>“We are on the defensive now. We have to find another way,” he continued. “That’s why I think we must listen to Elder Yua. There are things in the past worth digging up.”</p><p>For a long moment, Katara fell silent. Then quietly she said, “I don’t want to marry someone I don’t love.” Her gaze fell to the fire, which crackled and blazed in front of her.</p><p>Before she realized it was happening, her thoughts shifted to Aang for the first time in a long while. She tried not to think of him—dwelling on the past and the world that could have been brought too much pain. Moreover, some part of her hadn’t forgiven him for disappearing without a word even though she understood that seeking out the origin of the Avatar was something he had to do on his own. Worse, she sometimes wondered if he held it against <em> her </em> that his bending abilities had evaporated upon his revival; that if she had been quicker, had healed him sooner the Avatar spirit would not have left him—and by proxy, the world. Truth be told, she blamed herself. Spirits, what would that do to a person? He’d been fractured to the core.</p><p>Something dark and hideous twisted deep inside Katara’s gut.</p><p>“I know. Believe me when I say this is not what I had hoped your future would be like,” Hakoda answered. He tilted his head back against the wall of the hut and closed his eyes. “Which is why ultimately, this must be your choice. I won’t let anyone make this decision for you, you have my word. In return, I just hope that you will consider—truly consider—this moment as an opportunity.” He leaned forward over the fire and lowered his voice to the faintest whisper. “Consider the knowledge we could reap with someone on the inside.”</p><p>Katara’s eyes widened, her father’s words enveloping her the way the sea would a sinking ship—tugging slowly at first, and then dragging her down, inescapable.</p><p>He had a point, but she wouldn’t acknowledge it now. “Goodnight, dad,” she said instead, unfurling her bedroll. He nodded and turned away on his side. </p><p>For all her exhaustion, Katara hardly slept at all. </p><p>
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</p><p>The next days were passed in tension, a thick silence having fallen over the village. Her birthday celebration was a small one: dad and some of the villagers prepared blubber cakes, for which she struggled to find an appetite, and in the evening she and the other few young folks in the village huddled in her friend Aiko's tent and drank some spiced wine from their stores. Katara tried to keep busy, spending time fishing by herself when she could or hunting for otter penguins and tiger seals. Even when she wasn't, that was what she told the Fire guards she was doing whenever she needed to get away for a while. Eyes fell on her wherever she went, and she knew they whispered about her behind her back as well. Nobody wanted this fate for her, she truly believed that, but times were uncertain and everyone was worried about their own self-preservation. </p><p>Still, an Elder had once told her that you could feel eras of change in your <em> blood </em>, especially as a water bender, and Katara knew she was feeling it now. No matter what she chose—becoming a prisoner in steel or in marriage—everything was about to be different. For her father’s sake she tried to remain positive, because she knew it was hard on him too. Everyone expected answers from him and looked to him for peace of mind, and he didn’t have any to give.</p><p>Every day she waited anxiously for the hawk’s return, wanting to make her choice before her hand was forced—possibly quite literally, but she was at a loss. For once, she wished she could speak with Toph. The girl had always been too blunt, too honest, always giving unsolicited advice where it didn’t help, but she was never afraid to give her opinion and an outside opinion was what Katara craved more than anything. Last Katara heard Toph had returned to Ba Sing Se, to make as much use as she could of her wealthy parents’ network. To fight back.</p><p>Drifting in the Umiak she and her father had fashioned in the spring, Katara’s hands balled into fists. She wasn’t fighting back, and that was what it came down to. Locked away as a hostage in a tower, only to be trotted out when those bastards needed something wouldn’t be fighting back either. </p><p>Marrying some Fire Nation noble would buy her protection. She would still be a prisoner, but a different kind: one that could gather knowledge and if she was smart about it, mobilize. Brokering an alliance with the Fire Nation would give them a more vested interest in keeping her alive, and that would buy her time. Really, her father was right. They had been oddly merciful to her family, more than was sensible, which only made her wonder what they weren’t telling her—how else they were planning to use her.</p><p>She pulled off one of her mittens and dipped her fingers into the icy summer sea. It had been nice being home, even with the occupation. She didn’t want to leave; nothing about the Fire Nation’s hot beaches and water-starved rocky landscape appealed to her. She liked the cold humid air, the ice, the snow, and the sound of glaciers crumbling under the bright summer sun. Most of all she’d miss the auroras in the winter, their ethereal green light crackling and dancing under a blanket of stars—more than she’d seen anywhere else in the world. </p><p>It didn’t have to be forever. <em> But it might be </em>, she told herself. She couldn’t forget that in agreeing to the marriage she would be throwing herself into the belly of the beast. If things didn’t go well, it would be the end for her and probably for people she loved, too.</p><p>She had to try, though. As much as she hated to admit it, Elder Yua was right. This was an opportunity, and one she couldn’t throw away in selfishness. She could be selfish later, when she’d helped claw the world back from the Fire Nation’s clutches, but there was no room for it now. Not with Aang missing and her brother unaccounted for, and so many innocent lives being held to the Fire Nation’s flame. </p><p>She would do it. </p><p>It would be miserable. Her insides twisted themselves into ropes at the thought of <em> marriage </em> and all that came with it, let alone to a Fire noble, but she would do it. Would he be cruel? Unbecoming? Would he even listen to her when she spoke, or give her the time of day? It didn’t really matter what he was like. The marriage would be a farce through and through, most definitely from her standpoint and certainly no Fire noble had any interest in marrying some poor peasant girl from the Water Tribe. She just hoped it would be bearable. Until now, she’d wrongly accepted that there was nothing she could do, that this was just their lot now until Aang returned or Sokka raised an army, or someone somewhere did <em> something </em>, but five years had passed and no one had done anything.</p><p>Including her. </p><p>Not anymore.</p><p>Her mind made up, Katara picked up her oar and began to paddle her way back to shore. She ached to bend, to carry herself over the waves like she’d done in the old days, and swore to herself that one day she would bend freely again. That day was not today.</p><p>
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</p><p>It was over breakfast three days later that the hawk finally returned. It was early, and Katara was sitting in her hut with her father forcing down a strip of squid shark jerky when Commander Kang and his underlings showed up on their doorstep. </p><p>“Chief Hakoda, we require an audience,” one of the lieutenants grunted from outside. </p><p>“We’ve only just woken,” her father replied, raising her voice so they could hear.</p><p>“It was not a suggestion, Chief Hakoda,” came the response.</p><p>Katara’s heart kicked into high rhythm. She’d been waiting for days for something to just <em> happen </em> , but now that it was upon her her mouth went dry and her palms turned as clammy as the sea prunes she’d harvested. <em> Be strong </em>, she told herself. Her father and village, as well as the Northern Water Tribe would have to believe she would be alright in order to buy into the arrangement and respect it. If they didn’t, the whole thing could fall apart. </p><p>“Ah, yes,” Commander Kang said when together she and her father emerged into daylight.</p><p>Katara swallowed. </p><p>“Water bender,” he said, looking directly at her, his dark eyes chilling her to the bone. There was a sinister crook to his lips, like he was biting back a joke unsaid. “Fire Lord Ozai has welcomed this arrangement with great enthusiasm. He believes that peace is of the highest priority, on which I’m sure we can all agree, and has insisted that arrangements be undertaken to unify our societies in this way.”</p><p>“Wait,” Katara interjected. “Don’t I get to—”</p><p>He silenced her with a wave of his hand, unrolling a scroll of parchment from his tunic. “From this moment onward,” he read, “consider yourself the betrothed of Crown Prince Zuko.”</p><p>Katara felt the color drain from her face, followed by an exhale of whatever words she might have said. Of all possible nightmares that she could have dreamed up, she had not anticipated this.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Two updates in two days? Well there's a pandemic outside and I'm furloughed from my job, so might as well go down the rabbit hole.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was like Katara had been hit in the face with a brick. She almost didn’t believe she’d heard him right. Time slowed around her, the reckoning moment between her and Commander Kang stretching on for what felt like a lifetime. Coldness seeped into her bones and she blinked, half-expecting to wake up into a different reality. Surely this could not be real.</p><p>The moment festered, tearing open old wounds, and like that the truth infected her like a disease—binding itself to her, slowly, until she felt it in all of her limbs, down to her fingertips and toes, filling her with rage. Her father looked at her in unmasked horror, and Katara thought his expression must have mirrored her own. She regained composure before he did though, hands curling against her sides, her face twisting into the stoniest mask she could muster.</p><p>Too late.</p><p>“Well then, it looks like you’re already familiar with our nation’s cherished heir. No need to arrange a formal introduction then,” Kang said. “Do you two know each other well?”</p><p>Stars sparked in Katara’s vision. Her pulse thundered in her ears, and it took all of the restraint she could muster not to bury the Commander and his cronies in the ice. Oh, what she’d give to wipe her hands clean of the entire Fire Nation right here and now. <em> That’s what you’re doing </em>, she had to remind herself. She was doing this for her friends, for her family, for the memory of her mother and everyone else who had suffered their violent reign. For their sakes, she would be strong.</p><p>“Well?” Commander Kang pried, a shit-eating grin spreading across his face. Oh, he was going to make it hard for her.</p><p>“Is it your business?” Hakoda interjected. Kang’s cutting eyes shifted to her father, narrowing.</p><p>Katara’s throat was tight and it took great effort to get the words out through grit teeth. “No, not well.”</p><p>Her bending hummed beneath her skin, begging to be unleashed at the memory of what’d happened in Ba Sing Se. She swallowed hard and breathed deep, trying to quell her shaking. Yes, she knew Zuko. Yes, she blamed him for everything.</p><p>He was the reason they had lost. The reason the city fell. The reason the Fire Nation now reigned.</p><p>And he had tricked her. Tricked her into believing he was someone worth fighting for. For a brief failing moment, she had believed in him. </p><p>He’d betrayed them, fought alongside Azula when they’d needed him most, which she now realized must have been part of his plan all along. How could she have been so <em> stupid </em>? If it weren’t for her moment of weakness in the catacombs when she’d allowed her friends to turn their backs to him, thinking he would not gladly plunge a knife into them while turned, the Avatar spirit would still be alive. Never again would she make that mistake. She knew what he was now.</p><p>“I see,” Commander Kang cut her out of her thoughts. He loomed over both of them.</p><p>“Is there anything else?” Hakoda asked, and Katara appreciated him in that moment more than he could ever know. She was barely holding it together.</p><p>Commander Kang paused, eyeing them. “No,” he said after a moment. “That will be all for now. A ship will arrive in two days’ time to transport the water bender to the capital.”</p><p>A fist closed around Katara’s heart. <em> Two days </em>? “But I’ve only just found out!” she called after him as he and his lieutenants turned to leave.</p><p>“These things move quickly,” he said over his shoulder. “I’m sure you understand.” Then they were gone, and Katara was in no mind to chase after them lest she say or do something she regretted.</p><p>“He didn’t even let me have my say,” Katara whispered bitterly, more to herself than to her father. </p><p>Her father’s expression was sorrowful. “What would you have said? Katara, if this is too much I’ll speak with the villagers, we’ll find a way—” </p><p>“Dad, I can’t talk about this right now,” she cut him off. “Sorry.” With that she left him, standing helpless at the entrance to their hut, and made her way out of the village. He didn’t try to follow her.</p><p>Alone, Katara wandered out across the snowy sloping hills of the continent, wearing only her tunic and boots. An icy wind whipped against her cheeks, and looking off her right shoulder she saw there were whitecaps on the sea. Dragging herself to the water’s edge, she folded her arms over her chest and took a seat with crossed legs. What an absolute, complete and utter mess.</p><p><em> Zuko </em> ? Were they out of their fucking <em> minds </em>?</p><p>For the past few days, Katara had been building her defenses. She’d fortified her heart into a block of ice, cold and hard—but at the thought of his scowling, self-righteous face, that fortification started to melt. Tears leaked from Katara’s eyes as she started to shake with sobs, hugging her knees and burying her face in them. </p><p>In the past five years of being separated from her friends, her goals, her bending, she’d never felt as alone as she did right now. Spirits, if only she could see them. The way things were looking, she wasn’t sure she ever would again. Sokka, too. Was he alright? Katara lifted her face to stare out at the raging ocean, and she thought that he probably was. As dumb as he could be, he was scrappy, and Suki was smart. She’d watch out for him, have his back. At least she could count on that. Still, Katara would be willing to bet all the coin she had—which wasn’t much—that the rebellion in the north had something to do with her brother.</p><p>It felt like hours passed as she sat there, crying her eyes out under the blinding polar sun.</p><p>Slowly, her sobs lulled to a stillness which flowed from deep inside her—the stillness of defeat. Everything was so much worse than she could have ever expected it to be. How did they get here?</p><p>She knew the answer.</p><p>Zuko.</p><p>His name was like a curse.</p><p>Katara closed her eyes and drew a deep breath through her nose, drawing on everything she could to calm herself. Yes, this was an opportunity as Elder Yua had suggested. Maybe this was the universe’s way of offering her revenge; a chance for poetic justice to be served. The Avatar may be gone, but she wasn’t.</p><p>Would it even work, though?</p><p>Zuko’s heinous personality aside, there was no way he would ever come to trust her no matter how good of an actor she managed to become and consequently, all of her reasons for going through with the marriage would be moot. It would be in vain. She would be <em> married </em> to him in vain.</p><p>Katara squirmed at the thought, surprised bile didn’t rise up in the back of her throat. </p><p>Married to <em> Zuko </em>.</p><p>She hung her head in despair, arms draped over her knees. She did not see an easy way out of this. Her best shot would be to charge straight through it, and give it her all. She would have to get Zuko to trust her, or try her damndest. Her father was right: it was the Fire Nation’s world now, and she was just a pawn in it; but if she could make herself a queen—or a princess, or whatever—that would change the game.</p><p>Really, it was more than she’d expected. A Fire noble sure, some rich landlord or an admiral or an Ember Island tourist tycoon, but the Crown Prince?! A frustrated sound tore from Katara’s throat.</p><p>Why did it have to be <em> him </em>?!</p><p>She was staring at the snow between her feet so hard, she hadn’t noticed the pillar of water she’d subconsciously drawn from the sea; and the way it now encircled her like a halo. Catching herself, she immediately let go, checking over either shoulder to verify she was alone and it crashed to the ground, splashing and soaking her through. Katara gasped.</p><p>“Fuck this,” she muttered aloud, standing up and wringing her tunic out. Frigid and drenched, she started to storm her way back to the village.</p><p>“What happened to you?” Aiko gaped when Katara bumped into her at the village entrance. She held a basket of freshly-caught fish in one hand, and a spear in the other. Katara envied the parka she wore. Her friend was lanky and slender, with dark skin and a high ponytail of midnight hair.</p><p>“Fell in the water,” Katara snapped as she bristled past.</p><p>“Katara, wait!” Aiko called after her, but Katara needed to speak with her father. The Commander had said the transport would arrive in two days’ time, which hardly gave them any room for planning. They needed to strategize, and she needed something else to occupy her mind—desperately.</p><p>Chief Hakoda was right where she’d left him, and she startled him when she busted back into their hut unannounced. He was glad to see her though, she knew he must have been worrying, so Katara took a seat near the fire to dry out and together in hushed voices they got to work.</p><p>
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</p><p>That night, after a long afternoon of consulting with her father, Aiko stopped by their hut. </p><p>“I came to check on you,” she said under the faint glow of midnight sun, her soft features and dark eyes full of concern. </p><p>A long moment passed between them, and then Katara sighed, releasing more tension than she knew she’d been holding onto from the day. “I’m sorry for earlier,” she said. “It’s been a long couple of days.”</p><p>“Do you want to talk about it?” Aiko asked.</p><p>Katara hesitated, chewing on her cheek, then beckoning she said, “Yeah. This way.”</p><p>Aiko followed her to a small garden of ice sculptures on the edge of the village, where they took a seat together on one of the benches carved out from the snow and rock. Katara leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and sighed. She was grateful that Aiko gave her space, waiting for her to speak.</p><p>“It’s just everything,” Katara started. “Everything’s happened so quickly, and I feel like I have no good way out.”</p><p>“I understand,” Aiko replied. “I mean I do, but I don’t. I mean, I feel like that sometimes too, since the Fire Nation took over. Before all of this, I wanted to travel to the Earth Kingdom and see the world. Now I feel like I have to stay here and help keep my family safe. Feels like I’ll never leave.” She wrapped her ponytail around her fingers as she spoke.</p><p>Katara nodded. “I know what you mean. The last thing I want to do is be shipped off to the Fire Nation like some token of war, but it feels like something I have to do. I could resist, maybe even take out the Fire forces here but ultimately I’d probably end up locked away like the rest. Doesn’t seem very helpful,” she sighed, covering her face with her palms.</p><p>“It must be scary. I heard you only have two days,” Aiko replied. </p><p>Katara flinched and then nodded again, not taking her hands off her face.</p><p>Another long moment passed between them, then quietly Aiko asked, “Do you know him? The Crown Prince?” </p><p>Katara’s gut turned in on itself. “Yes,” she grit out for the second time that day.</p><p>She didn’t really feel like explaining, and really she just wished Aiko already knew. It made her feel like a stranger in her own village sometimes, how she’d traveled the world with the Avatar and fought the Fire Nation with her own hands, when many of them had never left the southern continent. They all knew Ba Sing Se had fallen, but she’d only shared the details of what’d really happened in the catacombs under the palace with her father. Even so, he hadn’t <em> been </em> there—none of them had. None of them knew what it was like to clutch your dead friend, the Avatar, in your arms while the whole world’s fate rested on your shoulders and on your bending.</p><p>She hadn’t been fast enough. Katara shook her head to herself, pangs of guilt ringing through her.</p><p>“What is it?” Aiko asked.</p><p>“I hate him,” Katara whispered. Before Zuko, she hadn’t thought she could truly hate anyone. It wasn’t her way; wasn’t how she’d been raised, and she resented him for that too. For poisoning her.</p><p>Gently, Aiko placed a hand on Katara’s back. “I’m so sorry,” was all she said, and Katara was grateful her friend didn’t pry for more.</p><p>“Me too,” Katara replied.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Wow, well really I just want to thank you all for the kind words and comments! The response to this story has been really great so far and it's only just gotten started. Thank you all for taking the time to tell me your thoughts! It really makes my day. Cheers. :)</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The ship that came to take her away was a brutal, looming thing, like a shadow moving slowly over the waves. Standing at the harbor’s edge, she watched it push closer and closer until its bridge eclipsed the sun, plunging her into shadow as well. It was midday, and clouds had started to build from the horizon bringing with them uncharacteristically chilly weather for summer. Upon the ship’s anchoring, Katara turned and ran back to the top of the docks where her father waited, along with village folk who’d come to see her off and the Fire guards who watched them all. Nobody said a word.</p><p>“You can talk, you know,” Katara broke the silence to her father, falling into place beside him and snaking both of her arms around one of his the way she’d held onto him when she was a child. “Not like we’re going to get to speak to each other anytime soon after this,” she muttered. Her rage had settled—for now—into a sort of bitter resignation.</p><p>He gave her a sympathetic look, then drew her into a hug. “I’m going to miss having you around here, kid. These guys are no fun,” he added in a whisper, nodding to the Fire guards beside them. “Wish your Gran-Gran was still here to boss them around.”</p><p>“Don’t have to tell me,” Katara replied. Dread welled in her stomach at the notion that soon, she’d be surrounded by nothing but Fire Nation; no family to turn to or friends to confide in. Whatever loneliness she’d experienced since returning to the South Pole would be nothing compared to what was coming.</p><p>“Heads up!” Four Fire guards cleared the way for the ship’s loading ramp to fall. Slowly it lowered, landing with a small <em> crunch </em> in the tightly-packed snow.</p><p>Katara’s gaze trailed up, and she gasped when she saw who appeared in the port door.</p><p>Azula. The Fire princess started down the ramp while a royal guard followed behind her, though luckily her usual cronies Mai and Ty Lee were nowhere in sight. She looked no different than she had five years ago. Maybe a little more cunning, but she still wore her hair in that top knot, bangs sweeping across her cheeks with her features set in that same, determined frown.</p><p>“Well look who it is,” Azula said loudly, mirroring Katara’s exact thoughts. “Can’t say I missed you.”</p><p>Katara resisted the very real urge to spit in Azula’s face when she neared—being a waterbender, she wouldn’t miss. Instead she just bit out, “Likewise.”</p><p>She hadn’t seen the Fire princess since that day in the catacombs, when fate had seemingly aligned itself with the Fire Nation. Seeing her now was like a swift kick to the sides, nearly knocking the wind from her. Moreover, Katara hadn’t really considered that her misery would begin…now. She’d figured she’d at least have the trip to mull things over and collect herself, before she really had to deal with anyone truly menacing. She’d figured wrongly.</p><p>Azula eyed her up and down. “Well, you’re still not much to look at,” she said with a smirk. “But then again, Zu-Zu’s always had bad taste so I doubt he’ll notice. Lucky you.”</p><p>“Yeah, well even with your pretty face everyone knows you’re a hideous monster,” Katara glowered—knowing she was quite literally playing with fire as the princess took a few daring steps forward, feet crunching in the snow. She couldn't help herself.</p><p>“Oh, come now.” Azula slunk an arm around Katara’s shoulders, dragging her close and making Katara recoil. “That’s no way to talk to your future sister-in-law. You should be grateful I was already nearby when father’s messengers came calling, otherwise you might have had to journey with strangers.”</p><p>“Get off of me,” Katara said warily, not missing how Azula’s guard—who surrounded them—moved closer.</p><p>“Is this how things are going to be between us?” Azula feigned woundedness. “And here I thought my new sibling might actually be <em> fun </em>. Silly me.”</p><p>Despite the snideness of Azula’s tone, there was real hurt in her eyes. It was jarring. “Sorry to disappoint,” Katara replied, crossing her arms and scowling.</p><p>“Restrain her,” Azula ordered the guards as she examined one of her nail beds.</p><p>Just like that, cold steel closed around Katara’s wrists as Azula’s guards shackled her. “What?!” she exclaimed.</p><p>“What is this?” Chief Hakoda stepped in, the rest of the village forming a circle behind him. “My daughter has agreed peacefully to the arrangement.”</p><p>“Do I look like I care, old man?” Azula chided. </p><p>“There is no need for this,” he said, each word careful and deliberate. “We’re all Fire Nation now.”</p><p>Katara winced as one of the guards jerked her wrists to her navel, linking the cuffs together.</p><p>Azula’s hands sparked and threatening blue flames danced to life in her palms. “Some of us more than others,” she said. Then nodding to the guards who restrained Katara she said, “Take her aboard. I’ll deal with her later.”</p><p>“Dad!” Katara shouted as they hoisted her up the ramp. She stole a strained look over her shoulder and saw her father lunge for her, only to be barred by a wall of blue flame. The last thing she heard before being engulfed by the dark belly of the ship was Azula’s cruel laugh. <em> I’d thought I’d at least be able to say goodbye. </em></p><p>They threw her in an iron cell somewhere in the hull of the ship. There were no windows, just the flickering light of a torch contrasted by shadows of insects which circled it in the musty dimness. Katara slumped to the cold floor of the cell, hands linked together at her waist, and it wasn’t until the echoes of guards’ footsteps in the hallway had long disappeared that she allowed her muscles to fall slack. Part of her wanted to cry and feel sorry for herself, but she wasn’t going to let herself go down that path. <em> There is shelter to be found in cold, hard places, Katara </em> , her Gran-Gran had said once. <em> It is the way of our people </em> . <em> We have weathered the elements that try to kill us not because we fight through them, but because we have used them, built homes from them </em>.</p><p>That’s what she was going to do. She was going to build a home from this: one in which the whole world could live, safely and peacefully.</p><p>Katara never heard Azula or her guard return to the ship, but they must have at some point because eventually she felt the sensation of motion, the ship gliding seaward over changing waves. From the feel of it, a storm was brewing. It was like that that Katara was lulled to sleep, allowing the vibrations of crashing waves and a raging, always-in-motion sea to bring her peace of mind.</p><p>
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</p><p>Hours later, she was woken by the sound of a rusted door swinging open on iron hinges. Her eyelids opened to find Azula stalking towards her, mouth set in a mirthless smile. Katara braced herself.</p><p>“I thought you could join me for dinner,” Azula said slyly. Two Fire guards filtered into the chamber behind her, one of them moving to unlock Katara’s cell.</p><p>“Sounds pleasant,” Katara muttered. Azula flicked her fingers and a tiny bolt of blue fire rocketed towards Katara, searing the end of her braid. The acrid scent of burning hair filled the room.</p><p>“Don’t think I won’t hurt you,” Azula purred, looming over Katara as the guards hoisted her to her feet. “Mother used to tell me I have a bad habit of playing with my food. I would have to agree,” she said, eyes flashing.</p><p>"Don't worry Azula, I believe you," Katara said, deadpan.</p><p>Azula hmphed. "The Water Tribe really didn't teach you any manners, did they? Hmm, peasant?"</p><p>“Fine, I’ll come to dinner,” Katara replied pointedly, really not wanting to get into it with the Fire princess. She glanced down at her singed hair and scowled.</p><p>“Good,” Azula goaded. “The more the merrier.”</p><p><em> Sociopath </em>. Katara breathed deep, then allowed herself to be escorted out of the chamber by the guards. They led her down several long, eerie corridors, lit by torchlight and lined with portraits of admirals and captains and other despicable heroes of their bloody, ruthless war. People Zuko had probably worshipped all his life. Ignoring the chills that shot down her spine, Katara focused on her sea legs instead. The ship rolled side to side beneath her.</p><p>She was thankful when they finally emerged into a dining room of sorts. The decor was no different than the rest of the ship, except that there were windows and she was right—it was storming. Rain pelted the long, narrow glass, which was red-tinted and hardly provided much of a view. The room was musty and smelled faintly of incense. A giant portrait of who Katara assumed was Fire Lord Ozai hung on the wall behind the head of the dining table. <em> A whole week of this </em>. She chewed her cheek at the thought. One of the guards who restrained her shoved her down onto a cushion seat, forcing her to kneel at the low wooden table. Azula took a seat across from her.</p><p>“Now, we can start getting to know each other a little better.” Azula placed her elbows on the table, leaning her chin atop her interlaced fingers. Servants—seemingly out of the woodwork—kicked into motion around them, one of them scurrying to bend a flame into a torch that’d gone out from the draft, while guards fell into place against the walls of the room and trained their eyes on the pair.</p><p>“Tea?” a servant appeared over Katara’s shoulder, startling her.</p><p>Almost at a loss for words, she mumbled, “Thank you.” She wasn’t used to being waited on. Her wrists were still bound, and lifting the cup of steaming hot tea to her lips was a struggle. A loud part of her wanted to whip it into Azula’s face. </p><p>“Precautionary measures,” Azula said—as if she’d read her mind—planting her hands on the floor behind her and leaning backwards. “Can’t have you bending your way out of here. Not that there would be anywhere for you to go, but your little Avatar crew is a slippery bunch.”</p><p>“Like I said, I agreed to this willingly.” Katara glared at her. If she'd wanted to escape, she was confident she'd be able to find a way.</p><p>“Yes, and why was that? Do share, I love a good sob story,” Azula replied as one of the servants placed a basket of steamed dumplings between them. Katara’s stomach grumbled. She hadn’t eaten all day.</p><p>“Your soldiers threatened to throw my father in prison, so then I offered to take his place, after which an alliance was suggested and I figured it would bring less death.” It was the truth—just not all of it. Katara’s gaze flickered down to her tea. “I heard about the rebellion up north.”</p><p>Azula plucked a dumpling from the basket with her chopsticks and dropped it onto her plate. “And what do you know about that?”</p><p>“Not much,” Katara replied. She managed to grab two dumplings for herself and immediately stuffed them into her mouth. “Just that there was one,” she added with a mouth full of food.</p><p>“Not sure I believe you, waterbender.” Azula leaned forward to stare at Katara through narrowed eyes. She hadn’t touched her food.</p><p>Katara shrugged. “Suit yourself,” was all she said, distracted by the smoked sea slug that was then placed in front of her, accompanied by a bowl of steamed rice and a side of boiled cabbage. Her mouth watered; she’d never tried such a delicacy. </p><p>“That’s all you have to say?!” Azula spat.</p><p>“Really, I don’t know anything about it. I first heard of it a few days ago,” Katara paused and answered as earnestly as possible.</p><p>She must have done something wrong, because Azula snapped, lunging over the table quick as lightning to swat the dishes out of the way, sending them careening into a nearby wall. Several flecks of oil and rice clung to Katara’s cheeks. The sea slug lay strewn across the floor several measures away. She gaped at Azula, at a loss for words.</p><p>“<em> Answer me </em>,” Azula hissed, crawling across the table on all fours and then grabbing Katara on either side of her collar and pulling her up off the ground, bringing them face to face. "What do you know about it? What's coming next?" A sickening wave of fear washed over Katara. She had not forgotten what Azula was capable of. “Well, your precious brother is a lot more chatty I hear,” Azula continued. “The guards at Boiling Rock have been able to get all sorts of information out of him.”</p><p>Katara gasped, not bothering to struggle against Azula’s grip. “You have Sokka?!”</p><p>Azula’s smile was wicked. “I’m onto you, waterbender. Now get out of my sight. Guards!” Azula exclaimed, violently letting go of Katara. Katara landed on her back with a <em> thud </em>, coughing twice.</p><p>The Fire soldiers didn’t bother helping her to her feet. She winced as the burliest one simply grabbed her by the link between her handcuffs and started to drag her from the room. He dragged her all the way back to her cell, ignoring her protests and cries as she encountered multiple bumps and bruises along the way, and just like that he’d slammed the iron door and locked it. Then he was gone.</p><p>
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</p><p>The next week of the voyage passed in misery, but still Katara was grateful to be left mostly alone. Azula only returned twice more—once to unload a screed about the sort of unrest she and the Avatar had inspired in Ba Sing Se, and then later to inform her that she had it on good faith that Sokka had tried to attack a guard at Boiling Rock and had been moved to a higher level of security. Katara hoped to all the spirits she could think of that it wasn’t true, that Azula was just being cruel and trying to get at her, but an inkling in her gut told her otherwise. She hated the thought of him locked up and alone, prone to all sorts of torture in that wretched place, but she knew there was nothing she could do about it if true. Not now at least. She would evaluate her options when they made landfall.</p><p>In the interim Katara spent most of her time trying to meditate the way Aang had taught her, letting go of everything that mattered so she could simply <em> focus </em>. It was hard and her train of thought often wandered, but it at least helped keep the hunger away. She was given a meager bowl of steamed rice each day, which she was relegated to eat with her still-bound hands, and that was it. Occasionally moisture dripped down the iron bars of the cell, which Katara considered bending, but after a few days she resorted to lapping at it with her tongue instead—the only water they’d allow her. The guards had left a bucket in the corner of the cage for her to relieve herself. Humiliating as it was, she quickly got used to it.</p><p>After what felt like an eternity they arrived at Capital City, upon which Katara really started to wonder if things would be any different there or if she’d just be thrown into a prison like her brother—like they’d threatened to do to her at home.</p><p>When they anchored Azula returned to the chamber with a retinue of guards, and together they jerked Katara from the cell a final time. Katara was a mix of emotions. On one hand, she couldn’t wait to be out of that dingy place where there was no water or fresh air and she couldn’t see the sky. On the other, she was terrified of what came next. Today, she would lay eyes on her future home, or <em> cell </em> at least. Most likely her future husband, too.  <em>You're going to make this right</em>, she told herself. <em>Do it for Sokka. For Aang. For Toph, for Suki, for Dad, for everyone back home and all over the world. You're going to fix this.</em></p><p>Still for all of her plans of grandeur, she’d never felt more like a peasant as they trotted her towards the ship’s unloading door, garbed in just her meager blue summer parka and boots, her mother’s necklace fastened at her throat. The sunlight burned her eyes when the door before her swung open with a <em> creak </em>. A warm breeze grazed Katara’s cheeks, and she was immediately confronted with the humidity of the air. She tried to take solace in it, and the presence of water which she immediately felt everywhere somewhat to her surprise. It was with a thundering heart that she followed Azula into the bright afternoon, taking her first step onto the ramp. </p><p>Peeking over Azula’s shoulder, she saw who awaited them: a small cluster of Fire Nation soldiers and nobles who’d come to witness her arrival, their wardrobe a stark contrast to the cerulean blue waves which lapped at the docks. They were the people who’d taken everything from her. Her enemies. A plague upon the earth. </p><p>Katara’s eyes landed on one figure.</p><p>At their forefront stood Zuko, garbed in an ornate crimson robe and formal armor, both accentuated with shimmering gold trim. His hair was pulled back from his face, bound in a top knot and ornamented with a metallic golden flame. His brow was furrowed and his mouth was set in a hard line. The scarred side of his face looked particularly callous. Just as she remembered him—maybe a little taller and broader. He looked <em>tense</em>.</p><p>Katara’s stomach plummeted as the guards shoved her forward.</p><p>Azula sauntered off the ramp in front of her, and suddenly she had nowhere to hide. Zuko’s gold eyes locked with hers, and for the briefest moment she could’ve sworn a look of surprise crossed his features—then it was gone, quickly obscured back into a frown. He stiffened as the soldiers dragged her to him and his cohorts, finally lessening their grip on her arms.</p><p>They stood like that for a moment, just taking each other in, and she swallowed hard at the way he unabashedly pinned her with his stare. Katara grimaced, setting her features in stone and holding her chin high. She refused to show her fear, or shame, or regret, or any of those things Azula had wanted to inflict upon her.</p><p>“Katara,” he finally spoke.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm biting my nails over here now that I'm getting into the meat of the story and god forbid, characterization. Writing is scary. Clicking the "Post" button is my own personal Siege of Ba Sing Se. Hope y'all are still with me.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Katara couldn’t help flinching at the sound of her name on his lips, at how it forced her to confront that this wasn’t just some stranger, but someone who had <em> personally </em> betrayed her. His voice was deeper than she remembered, having grown into himself she supposed. Still, he was painfully familiar and memories flooded into her like sea waves, of the man standing in front of her as just an ornery teenage boy, but cutthroat even then and happy to send the whole world up in flames so long as it would restore his so-called <em> honor </em>. Honor which had come at the expense of the Avatar, of hope, of each nation’s sovereignty and peace.</p><p>She merely nodded, not wanting to give him any more than the barest minimum. The Fire prince narrowed his amber eyes, as if daring her to say something, but Katara pointedly looked off towards the horizon and the dormant volcano whose caldera enclosed Capital City. Zuko decided to leave whatever she’d seen in his expression well enough alone, instead turning to his guards.</p><p>“Watch her closely,” he instructed, looking sour. “But unbind her.”</p><p>Katara’s mouth popped open, and she saw her surprise mirrored in the posture of Zuko’s guards—even if those menacing death masks covered their faces.</p><p>“Just what do you think you’re doing?” Azula jumped in, glaring at the guards who quickly froze where they’d started to motion towards Katara. </p><p>“Stand down, Azula,” Zuko snapped. Mai and Ty Lee fidgeted behind him. The guards, deeming it was safe, slowly removed the shackles from Katara’s hands. Her wrists were red and raw. </p><p>“What?” Azula crossed her arms. Then lowering her voice, both to keep the discussion from the crowd that’d gathered and to threaten, she said, “She’s a traitor and should be treated like it. <em> Father </em> would agree. Besides, you should have gone and retrieved her yourself if you felt so particular about it. Really, you should thank me for handling your affairs,” she added, her voice increasing in volume as she spoke. “I didn’t <em> have </em> to, you know, and picking up your slack is getting really fucking old!” She looked like she could spit fire.</p><p>The air between the two siblings seemed to <em> crackle </em> with static at the invocation of the Fire Lord and Katara held her breath, getting the sense that whatever this was, it’d been brewing for a long time. </p><p>“Father’s the one who saw to this arrangement, so you don’t need to tell me what he would or wouldn’t agree with,” Zuko seethed, also keeping his voice low while his hands balled into fists. Katara was surprised when no flames or at the very least wisps of smoke escaped them, knowing how this song and dance usually went. “How do you think it would look if our nation’s first impression of the waterbender was to see her trotted through Capital City in chains?” He gestured in the direction of the city. “Our nation would never respect the alliance.”</p><p>Azula stepped forward, driving one of her long nails into the center of his chest. Zuko slapped it away as she said, “You’re assuming a lot, Zu-Zu. For them to respect the alliance, they’d first have to respect <em> you </em>.”</p><p>Mai’s deadpan voice interjected. “Can we go back to the city now? This expedition is getting dull.” She rolled her eyes, but Katara was pretty sure they lingered on Zuko for a long second, as if to make sure he was alright. </p><p>“Whatever,” Azula grumbled, blowing past all of them towards the dragon moose-drawn carriage that would carry them to the palace. “Everything’s dull these days.”</p><p>The small crowd that’d gathered—common folk and gentry alike—dispersed then as the group made after Azula, Katara surrounded by guards. It was a busy port, with several ships loading and unloading while dockworkers carried cargo to and fro. Busy as they were, she could still feel the weight of their eyes on her, very aware how she stood out like a dolphin piranha in her tribal blue parka against their hues of red and brown. Together they packed into the large carriage—Azula, Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee and the two guards delegated to watch Katara—with Katara and the two guards bringing up the rear. She took a seat between her keepers and promptly fixed her gaze out the window.</p><p>As the carriage rolled forward the group started to chatter, with Ty Lee rambling off something about a festival and fried food and parades. Katara didn’t really listen, admittedly overwhelmed by her new surroundings. Summers were clearly hotter in the Fire Nation, since judging by the sun it wasn’t quite midday, and already it was sweltering as far as she was concerned. The warm breezy air smelled sweet and floral, mixed with a sharp hint of sea salt and the underlying sourness of creosote coating the harbor pilings. </p><p>The carriage took them up the winding path that sloped along the side of the volcano and into the city, where buildings with red pointed roofs were tightly packed for as far as Katara could see. They passed market stalls and booths from which people stared, somewhat confusedly, filling Katara with a sense of foreboding for what was to come. She’d been so preoccupied with dread over what spending time with the royal family would be like, she hadn’t even begun to consider what the nation’s people would think of her—or if they would act like people at all. It was clear from their faces the news had already been announced, and Katara’s instincts told her it hadn’t been well-received. However, the unmistakable scent of sticky buns soon distracted her from those thoughts, and brought her mind to more present needs: she was starving, exhausted, and filthy.</p><p>When she’d agreed to the marriage, she hadn’t anticipated becoming a prisoner. A week on the ship had sucked the life out of her, and as of now she had no reason to believe life in the palace would be any different. It appeared she would be watched carefully, maybe even imprisoned until...when? The marriage? When was that supposed to be? How did those things even go in the Fire Nation? She had no idea, and Commander Kang had not been generous enough to enlighten her.</p><p>
  <em> I miss Sokka and Dad.  </em>
</p><p>What would Sokka have to say about all of this? It wasn’t hard to guess. She could practically hear his voice in her head—<em> Tui’s gills, Katara, how can you possibly agree to marry that jerkbender?! I’d rather feed myself to the unagi than spend a single day with any Fire Nation blockhead, let alone Prince Ash Maker himself. </em>Katara couldn’t help the snort that escaped her then, and her cheeks burned with heat when suddenly everyone’s attention fell to her.</p><p>“Something funny?” Azula barked, raising an eyebrow. “Care to share?”</p><p>Katara cleared her throat, suddenly fascinated with her hands which lay folded in her lap. “It’s nothing.”</p><p>Azula leaned towards her and Katara shrunk back. “You Water Tribe sure are a secretive bunch.”</p><p>“Is it true you people eat fermented bait fish down there? I heard it stinks like death,” Ty Lee interjected, pinching and then wrinkling her nose.</p><p>“I’ve heard they eat their own when things get really desperate,” Mai said coolly.</p><p>Katara’s cheeks burned. “We do <em> not </em>. And fermented bait fish isn’t so bad. Maybe if you all let yourself enjoy other cultures instead of burning them down, you’d see for yourselves.”</p><p>She was satisfied by the way she saw Zuko’s jaw flex in her periphery where he sat on the opposite side of the carriage, but her attention was quickly redirected when Azula caught her chin between her fingers, making Katara wince. “What do <em> you </em> know about culture?” she asked, eyeing Katara up and down in a way that was meant to insult.</p><p>Katara lost it then—and spit in Azula’s face, nailing her right between the eyebrows. Azula reflexively backhanded the waterbender across the face—nevermind the way the guards both grabbed her by the arms to restrain her—resulting in a loud <em> crack </em> of bone against bone. Katara reeled, stars dancing in her vision as her hand flew to her mouth. Her fingers came away red.</p><p>She drew a deep, ragged breath and wiped the blood away on her parka.</p><p><em> Worth it </em> , she thought, shaking. Spirits it was worth it, even if her lip now stung like hell. Ty Lee’s eyes were the size of the moon but she said nothing, and Katara thought she could almost detect some semblance of surprise on Mai’s typically expressionless face. Her betrothed was turned away from them, opting to look out the window with his chin in his palm as if nothing had happened instead. <em> Coward </em>, she thought. When did he become such a coward? She remembered him being a lot of things—selfish, ill-tempered, brazen and rude, to name a few—but yellow-bellied? This was new; or maybe she’d just missed it all along, duped by his loud mouth and rage into thinking he could actually stand for something.</p><p>“Try that again and I’ll take your head off next time,” Azula muttered as everyone settled back into their place. Katara silently reveled in how the Fire princess had to wipe the spit off her face with her sleeve. She knew she was being spiteful, and tried to ignore the ice that crept into her heart at the notion that Gran-Gran wouldn’t approve.</p><p><em> This is a different world now </em> , her father’s words echoed in her mind. <em> It has different rules.  </em></p><p>Katara tried to take solace in that.</p><p>It seemed like eons passed before the carriage finally rolled to a stop in front of the royal palace. One of the soldiers attempted to haul Katara out of the transport, but she had no intention of being treated like a piece of luggage and shrugged his hand away with pertinence, climbing out herself. Once outside she gaped at the structure that stood before her: more statehouse than home, with grand pillars and a tiered, gold-trimmed roof which gave the palace an overwhelming sense of grandeur. Even the stone stairway which led to the entrance hall seemingly took up more space than her entire village back home. How did they pay for it all? Well, she sorta knew—and was determined to dig into the details of all <em> that </em> while she was here, too.</p><p>They were greeted by yet another procession of guards and attendants—so stifling!—and Katara had just started to follow Ty Lee’s front hand-springing example up the stone steps of the palace when someone grabbed her by the upper arm. She whipped around to find herself face to face with Zuko, who loomed over her like the moon eclipsing the sun, eviscerating whatever sense of warmth or comfort remained in her. Clearly, he was not happy.</p><p>“We need to level-set, waterbender,” he grit out, cornering her against the carriage. Everyone else, save her guards, had trailed up the steps ahead of them. The two soldiers in death masks stood near her warily, but did not interfere.</p><p>Katara folded her arms over her chest with a scowl, drawing herself to her full height—which was still a head shorter than him. “Good, I was thinking the same.”</p><p>“I am doing this for my people, for my nation, and because it is what the Fire Lord believes is best for the world going forward,” he started in a low but firm voice, his words sounding almost rehearsed. Still, his eyes flashed as he continued, coming uncomfortably close to her. Katara’s back hit the carriage door and instinctually her mind grappled for the water in the fountains across the courtyard. “Do <em> not </em> make the mistake of thinking that I had any part in arranging this, or that I have any investment in this alliance beyond my duty to my country.”</p><p>“I’m happy to hear we’re on the same page, <em> Zuko </em>,” she said, purposefully withholding his title. She didn’t shy away from him as she added, “My reasons are exactly the same. Consider us level-set.”</p><p>“Good,” he replied. Beneath the veneer of his elegant robes, his shimmering hairpiece and mantle, she could tell he was boiling. She savored it.</p><p>“Good!” she parroted, sweeping out from under him and starting towards the staircase. Her two guards fell in place beside her. Still, even as she walked away that bitter, spiteful part of her clawed at her from the inside, so much so she couldn’t help glancing back at him and saying, “I think I’m starting to understand why you enjoy conflict so much. It gives the illusion that you have a spine.” </p><p>She felt, rather than saw, the resultant flames that must have burst from him at her remark. Some of that warmth he’d sucked away returned to her then, hot at her back as she continued on her way. Into the belly of the beast.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>How bout them apples? Whew, finished this chapter quickly! Probably thanks to all your wonderful, kind reviews. So motivating to see people enjoying my story, so thanks again to all you commenters/kudoers. Also I'm just motivated by spite towards the fact that I always pick sunk ships.  &lt;@:0) Honk that clown nose, y'all.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Welcome to the royal palace...Master Katara.” The woman servant who greeted her in the entry hall seemed hesitant. She was young and sturdy-bodied, with a round face and her dark, wavy hair half-tied into a top knot while the other half cascaded over her shoulders. “I am called Ichiko, and I will be happy to guide you to your chambers. Please, let me know if you need anything at all.” The words were stiff and forced as they left her mouth, filling Katara with a sense of unease.</p><p>In addition to Ichiko who was to become her personal servant—clad in a simple burgundy tunic and tan trousers—Katara was also “gifted” two new firebending guards who would replace those that’d brought her thus far. They were both women around her age from the looks of it, equal in height and clad in formal Fire Nation armor and helmets. Neither of them spoke to her as they trailed her and Ichiko down the endless hallway, its high ceilings supported by tall columns and its dark cherry walls adorned with paintings. Unpleasant as her welcome party had been, Katara still had no intention of trying to run and she thought the guard was completely unnecessary. That didn’t stop her from sizing them up, however, noting to herself that she could probably take both of the firebenders in a fight. She’d held her own against their crown prince and princess, after all.</p><p>“It’s here,” Ichiko said with a bow, sliding open a great guest suite door and gesturing for Katara to enter. Ichiko and the guards followed her into the room, the latter falling into place like sentries on either side of the door as Ichiko slid it closed behind them. “There is a...soaking tub in the washroom which you may use to clean yourself up prior to your meeting with Fire Lord Ozai.”</p><p>“Meeting with Ozai?” Katara parroted. Nobody had informed her of this.</p><p>“You are to meet with <em> Fire Lord </em> Ozai in his throne room this afternoon,” Ichiko replied, almost as if she’d taken personal insult to Katara’s lack of formality. “He wishes to welcome you to the Fire Nation. Crown Prince Zuko will attend the meeting as well.”</p><p>Katara glanced skyward, as if she could will some spirit to materialize and whisk her away. “I see.”</p><p>She supposed she should enjoy some peace while she was able. The room was dimly lit, lacking any natural light and it was hewn from dark, sturdy wood and adorned with accents of burgundy. A single lamp hung from the ceiling in the corner, and below it was a fireplace. She circled around the very large bed in the center of the room, its headboard against the far wall, and made for the washroom. To her exasperation, Ichiko followed her.</p><p>Katara had just started to unbutton her summer parka, ignoring the servant when Ichiko bustled into her way and started to undo the buttons herself. “Please Master Katara, allow me to help you with that.” Again, her words lacked any genuine warmth and seemed to come from a sense of duty alone.</p><p>“Really, I can handle it my—” Katara started, then stopped upon seeing the way Ichiko’s face twitched, like she was fighting back a scowl. Not allowing the servant woman to do her job was indignant, it seemed. “Thank you,” she backtracked, indicating Ichiko should continue.</p><p>It was uncomfortable, being undressed by another, but Katara tried her best to go along with it. Despite being the chieftain’s daughter, she certainly had never had servants—the idea of servitude going on back home was laughable, maybe even insulting—and the few times she’d let boys undress her in the days since Aang had disappeared had been within the safety of the polar darkness.</p><p>A terrible thought occurred to Katara as Ichiko started to unravel her bindings. What with the Fire Nation so preoccupied with this idea of honor, would they....would they expect her to be a virgin on her wedding night? Her blood froze in her veins. <em> Would she be expected to consummate the marriage? </em> Katara hardly felt the steaming hot water of the bath as Ichiko guided her into the tub, a bone-deep chill settling into her. Luckily Zuko hadn’t exactly been enthusiastic about this little union either, and for that she was thankful. Not that she’d expected anything different.</p><p>The Water Tribe held no such traditions of <em> honor </em> , hence why it’d escaped her mind—at least not in the South Pole. People married for love, and most couples became intimate with each other long before marriage. No sane person in the poles would pass up the warmth of a bed partner when available. <em> Sokka especially, spirits he has no decency </em>. She held her breath, fighting the bile that threatened to rise in the back of her throat at the thought of the polar bear dog-like moans she’d often heard emanating from his and Suki’s hut.</p><p>Slowly, Katara exhaled. Sinking down into the tub and submerging herself below the surface, she really wished she’d been given more time to think things over. There was so much she didn’t know about the Fire Nation, and she had no one to guide her. Losing herself in thought, she flinched when Ichiko’s hands reached down to cradle her head, massaging soap into her scalp. It smelled of jasmine and cloves. The water darkened immediately as filth broke away from her skin and hair, dissipating into the bath. Katara tried her best to relax—despite the fact that a stranger was scrubbing her naked body clean, and two firebenders waited on edge just beyond the washroom to roast her should she try anything—but yet another shadow crept into her heart as she sat there, soaking.</p><p>“Ichiko,” she started, uncertain. </p><p>“Yes, Master Katara?” the woman replied.</p><p>Katara hesitated, then said, “What do you know about Boiling Rock?”</p><p>“Nothing you would want to know, Master Katara,” Ichiko replied, tension becoming apparent in her fingertips.</p><p>“Is it far from here?” Katara asked. At some point, she needed to find a map of the Fire Nation to study. Still, she heard a low groan escape Ichiko’s throat, as if to say <em> you shouldn’t be asking about this </em>.</p><p>“I wouldn’t mind it being farther, Master Katara. The most dangerous criminals are kept there...though they do say escape is impossible,” the servant replied.</p><p>Katara couldn’t help snorting, despite the gravity of the situation. At twenty years old, Sokka was an established warrior, a formidable battle strategist and a rebel organizer. Still, Katara had a hard time conceiving of him as a <em> dangerous criminal </em>—even if he had grown these last few years, and was in all likelihood strong enough to crush human skulls with his bare hands these days. More specifically, Fire Nation skulls.</p><p>“You are safe here, Master Katara. There is nothing to worry about,” Ichiko added, rinsing whatever soap remained from Katara’s hair.</p><p>“Firebender criminals? Or others?” Katara pried.</p><p>“I couldn’t say, Master Katara.” Ichiko’s tone reiterated that she would prefer not to discuss Boiling Rock any further. “I have never been.”</p><p>“Of course,” Katara mumbled. As far as she was concerned, the royal palace was just as much a prison as Boiling Rock, and in some ways it was more sinister. </p><p>“Towel, Master?” Ichiko offered. </p><p>Katara nodded, something like guilt stinging her. She really didn’t like being waited on at all.</p><p><em> Just roll with it, Sweetness. Enjoy the ride. </em>She could practically hear Toph’s advice in her head, and the thought of her barefoot, tactless friend growing up in some stuffy noble household with servants and all this fuss brought a much-needed smile to Katara’s face, however small. Sooner or later, she would need to find a way to contact Toph. The earthbender surely had contacts in the Fire Nation, people Katara would probably benefit from getting in touch with. Toph, and she also needed to contact her father—but she would wait until after she’d verified that Sokka was actually imprisoned, and that Azula wasn’t just toying with her.</p><p>With that, Katara pulled herself from the tub and allowed Ichiko to wrap her in a towel before she slunk over to the nearby mirror which hung over the wash basin. For the first time since making her deal with Commander Kang, she examined herself. Her features had certainly waned, her face taking on a sunken and tired look in the short time since leaving home. A dark bruise had bloomed along her jawline where Azula had struck her, complemented by a line of congealed blood in the corner of her bottom lip. The skin at her wrists was raw and chafed from the cuffs, and it'd started to itch. Instinct told her to draw water from the tub and bend it into her skin, to heal herself, but she denied herself that kindness knowing her captors wouldn’t take it well.</p><p>“Here,” Ichiko said, offering Katara a fresh tunic and pair of trousers—both varying shades of blue.</p><p>Katara frowned when she saw them. “They’re Water Tribe garments. Why?”</p><p>“You are not yet Fire Nation, Master Katara.” Ichiko’s reply was curt.</p><p>“Oh,” Katara replied, deflated.</p><p>From there she finished dressing, slipping into the garments provided to her and pulling her hair into a side-braid. She even convinced one of the firebenders to use the dagger at their hip to cut off a solid hands’ length of hair from the end of her braid where it’d been fried by Azula’s firebolt. Prisoner as she was, she had to admit she felt better after a bath. So much so that when she collapsed onto the bed, sinking into its softness, her eyelids fluttered shut and she drifted to sleep—against her better judgement, given the vulnerability of her position. </p><p>Due to the lack of daylight Katara had no idea how much time had passed by the time she was prodded awake by Ichiko’s persistent fingers, which dug into her shoulder and collar in an attempt to stir her. “You must wake, Master Katara,” Ichiko insisted as though she’d been trying to wake the waterbender for awhile. “The Fire Lord and Crown Prince Zuko are waiting for you.”</p><p>Her body ached, her fatigue finally making itself known, but for Ichiko’s sake—spirits, she seemed stressed—Katara rolled out of bed and returned to the mirror in the washroom. She did her best to calm the unruliness of her hair, cursing herself for sleeping on it while it was wet, and shrugged one last time at the unbecoming bruise on her face. <em> Let them see it </em> . <em> They’re the ones who did it. </em> With that, she allowed her impatient servant and two firebending guards to escort her from the room.</p><p>“You’re late,” were the first, rapid words out of Zuko’s mouth when she met him in the Royal Gallery. His back was straight, his posture stiff and his cutting eyes were trained on her as though she were some venomous reptile whose every movement threatened danger. He’d lost the armor from earlier, though he was still formally dressed in layers of crimson and gold trim, with dark trousers and knee-high boots. His top knot no longer looked any bit disheveled.</p><p>“I didn’t realize,” Katara replied, her cheeks growing hot. She was in no rush to meet the Fire Lord nor did she give a single <em> shit </em> about Fire Nation customs, but Zuko’s stark tone still managed to humiliate her much to her loathing. Somehow, he’d always been able to get beneath her skin. The fact that she was wearing peasant garb in comparison with his ornate robes didn’t help; it was almost as if she’d been given such clothing on purpose.</p><p>He noticed too, because he looked her over in that way he and Azula both tended to: that way which spoke to their difference in upbringing and said, <em> you’re beneath me. </em>It was a conscious effort not to shrink away from his scrutiny—especially when his attention briefly lingered where the bruise spread over her jaw.</p><p>“In the Fire Nation, we are punctual,” he said coldly. If she was a venomous reptile, he was a well-heeled dog who did exactly as he was told. <em> If you had a tail it would be tucked between your legs </em> she thought as he extended an arm to her. </p><p>“How was I supposed to know?” Katara snapped, eyeing the gesture.</p><p>The Crown Prince didn’t wait for her to comply; instead he hooked his arm through hers and started down the Gallery towards the War Room. “Great first impression you’re making,” he said. Even through the fabric, he was surprisingly hot to the touch.</p><p>“You’re right, I should have been more mindful,” Katara barbed, looking up at him. “First impressions tend to stick.”</p><p>She felt him tense against her, shooting her a daggered glare with his good eye, but he had no reply. Katara allowed herself the tiniest of smirks. A thick silence fell over them as he led her down the long, dim hallway. Giant portraits of Fire Lords past hung on the walls, their faces illuminated by diamond-shaped lanterns, suspended by long chains from the high ceiling. They all looked so grim, it was hard to believe they had not all been so cruel as Ozai or Azulon and Sozin before him. Perhaps one day Zuko’s portrait would hang on this wall, yet another homage to brutal imperialism and the Fire Nation’s reign of terror.</p><p><em> Not if I can help it </em>.</p><p>Passing the guards who were stationed outside, the first thing Katara noticed as Zuko guided her into the War Room was that it was <em> hot </em>. The humidity that generally hung in the air in the Fire Nation was missing, devoured she suspected by the towering wall of flames on the other side of the room. Beyond them was a throne, on which a shadowed figure sat. For a split second it felt like Zuko hesitated before proceeding. Katara grit her teeth, steeling herself before allowing herself to be led forward.</p><p>Ozai said nothing as they approached, and Katara’s eyes widened in shock when Zuko took to his knees before the Fire Lord. He had to subtly drag Katara down with him, so surprised she was by the gesture. Her knees hit the cold glossed wood, and she mimicked the Crown Prince as he bowed deeply so that his forehead touched the floor. The moment seemed to drag on forever, Katara’s heart thundering in her chest. She could not fathom something like this occurring back home.</p><p>“Zuko,” the Fire Lord finally purred in the dimness. “Please, introduce me to your betrothed.”</p><p>Together, the pair sat back on their calves. </p><p>“Fire Lord Ozai, allow me to introduce Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe,” Zuko said, and Katara got the sense it took some effort to make his voice sound as firm as it did. She shifted uncomfortably at the title. It was too stiff, too formal.</p><p>“A master waterbender,” Ozai mused, allowing the last word to linger and fill the room like droplets in the air. “So very accomplished for someone so young. How old are you?”</p><p>Katara swallowed, keeping her chin tucked to give the appearance of respect. “Not so young. I have just turned nineteen, Fire Lord,” she said. Zuko was still beside her.</p><p>“Younger than my son, and more accomplished,” Ozai replied, voice gravelly. Katara’s gaze shot to Zuko’s lap, where his hands had tightened into fists, knuckles quickly paling. Her cheeks flushed, but she did not correct the Fire Lord. “You have travelled the world with the Avatar, even served as his waterbending master if I have heard correctly,” Ozai continued. “Tell me, are you still the only bender of the Southern Water Tribe?”</p><p>It was meant to provoke. He knew <em>damn well</em> why she was the only bender in the South Pole. A fist slowly tightened around Katara’s heart hard. “Yes, Fire Lord. As far as I know.” It was the truth—because nobody had been having <em> children </em>. The Southern Water Tribe was well aware that Water was the next element in the Avatar line, and Katara had revealed to no one beyond her father that Aang was still alive. She, Hakoda, Sokka, Toph and Suki had sworn to keep the information to themselves until either Aang returned or they better knew what to do with it.</p><p>“Strange how it has been five years since the Avatar’s death, and yet there is no sign of his successor. Then again, the Avatar did elude capture for over a century,” Ozai’s gaze shifted to Zuko, his statement filled with unspoken words. The Crown Prince’s throat bobbed.</p><p>“It is a strange world without the Avatar, you’re right, but I am hopeful that this alliance between our nations will lead to growth and prosperity which could not have been achieved by the Avatar’s hands,” Katara said, lifting her chin to look Ozai in the eye. It was a complete and utter lie, but the sort of flying bison shit she hoped he would want to hear.</p><p>To her relief, Ozai seemed appeased for the time being; satisfied enough to allow the change of subject, at least. Zuko, however, glanced at her with the slightest narrowing of eyes. He didn’t buy it.</p><p>“I am in agreement, young waterbender. You will be a great asset to our nation,” Ozai smirked from beyond the wall of flames. Katara’s chest tightened. She didn’t like his tone at all, but she would have plenty of time to mull that over later. “Don’t you agree, my son?”</p><p>“Yes, sir,” Zuko said mechanically, straightening to meet the Fire Lord’s gaze. For a moment, Katara almost felt <em> bad </em> for him. There were many things she didn’t understand about the Fire Nation, but this sort of father-son relationship nearly topped the list. </p><p>“The marriage will take place in three days’ time. I have already made preparations,” Ozai informed them. <em> Three days? </em>That was so soon. Katara stole another glance at Zuko and swallowed hard. “It is good you have found yourself a marriage of political advantage, Crown Prince,” the Fire Lord said, and Katara got the strongest sense he was mocking his son at her expense. Ozai leaned forward on his throne, the wall of flames dulling down to a subdued and gentle flicker which brought his face out of the shadows. The Fire Lord’s golden eyes were bright as he said, “Finding real love, afterall, would have been difficult with a face like yours.”</p><p>Katara felt the color drain from her features and she had to resist the impulse to gape as she looked from Zuko to the Fire Lord. Sickeningly, Ozai just laughed as he slumped back on his throne, the fire wall dancing to life once more. She was certain the heat she now felt, however, originated from the man at her side rather than the fire.</p><p>“You are dismissed,” Ozai said. Katara could not leave the War Room fast enough.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Once again, thank you so much to those of you that have left reviews! Every inbox notification is a boon to my slovenly existence. I've tentatively added a chapter count for this fic, but I expect it will change as the story develops. Hope you enjoyed!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It took everything Katara had in her to wait for Zuko to stand, so together they could make their exit from the room with propriety. Even after what Ozai had said, the Fire prince still took the time to rise to his feet with a final, gracious bow—a sight that disgusted the waterbender. As soon as they’d made it through the door she dropped his arm, starting down the hall ahead of him.</p><p>“Katara!” Zuko shouted after her.</p><p>Katara paused, then rounded on him, itching to fight. If he was asking for it, she would give it to him. “This is what you gave up the world for?” she stormed up to him. “This was worth <em> peace </em>?!” Her face was inches from his, her breathing shaky. In her periphery she saw both her own guards and those who stood outside the War Room shift, ready to spring into motion if necessary.</p><p>Zuko stared down at her, golden eyes ablaze. “Alignment with the Fire Nation <em> is </em> the best avenue for peace!” he said scornfully, as though he had to spell it out for her.</p><p>“That’s a lie and you know it!” she exclaimed, not even noticing how water droplets—pulled from the air—had begun to accumulate around the finger she shoved in his face until he grabbed her wrist and tucked it back against her side. She shrugged him away.</p><p>“Enlighten me then!” The words tore from his throat, low and deadly. “I’m listening, waterbender. Tell me your alternative.”</p><p>Katara chewed her cheek, frowning as she searched his face like she might somehow find her answer there. “I don’t know,” she conceded as she took a step back from him. “But it’s not this.” A warm breeze whistled through the high rafters of the Gallery hall, reminding her they were in public and Katara shook her head.</p><p>Zuko crossed his arms, glowering. “The Fire Nation is the most advanced nation in the world. Both the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes will benefit from our leadership as we enter the next era of innovation and accomplishment. Do you ever even bother to concern yourself with the future? Do your people?” he snapped, gesturing wildly with his hands. “Probably not! I’m sure spearing fish and skinning seals and whatever else you have to do to make sure your most basic, primitive needs are met consumes enough time!”</p><p>Katara recoiled. Suddenly her eyes were stinging, and despite herself a lump formed in her throat. “There it is, Zuko. That’s what you really think of me, huh,” she said quietly, staring him down. “That I’m some savage.”</p><p>Zuko’s scowl faltered and he raised a hand to the bridge of his nose. “That was—”</p><p>“Save it,” Katara grit out. She swallowed the lump in her throat, held her chin high and gave him the most searing look she could muster. “If it’s primitive to care about the wellbeing of others over coin and ‘accomplishment’ as you call it then yes, we’re primitive,” she said, her words sharp as blades.</p><p>Zuko narrowed his eyes. “I’d be more than happy to put you on a transport to the South Pole in the morning if you miss it so much,” he threatened. Sweat beaded at his temples.</p><p>“Whatever you think best, Your Highness. I’m at the disposal of your endless wisdom,” she replied, throwing her hands in the air as she turned to go. “Can’t believe I ever saw something in you. This was all a mistake.”</p><p>As she pivoted she thought she saw his hand flex as though he meant to reach for her, but upon second thought it had to have been a trick of the light.</p><p>
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</p><p>“It’s this way to your suite, Master,” one of the firebenders said—Chizuru, she was called, and the other, Chise, was her twin. </p><p>“I’m not going back to my suite, I’m going for a walk,” Katara bustled as they led her through a series of similar-looking halls, rooms and doors. The waterbender didn’t really know where she was going, but she followed the tug of water from the courtyard fountains. If she walked in circles long enough, she was sure she would find her way out of the palace.</p><p>“That is not permitted,” Chise said, stepping in front of her to block her path. Chizuru fell into place at her twin’s side.</p><p>“I’m not making a run for it. Tui and La,” Katara huffed, pulling on her hair. “I just really need some fresh air.” Her voice was practically a whine, and ten minutes later she was still shaking from her flare-up with Zuko.</p><p>The two exchanged a look, and Katara seized their moment of weakness.</p><p>“You saw what happened. Did you enjoy it? If not, please, allow me some fresh air to clear my head before this boils over into something even uglier,” she insisted, damn near ready to forcibly remove them from her way if they didn’t budge.</p><p>“I do not think it would not be too troublesome,” Chise said with a nod after a pause, though her gaze lingered on Katara’s clenched fists.</p><p>“It is probably for the best,” Chizuru agreed with a gulp. Katara brushed past them into the summer evening, making straight for one of the long and narrow courtyard fountains.</p><p>“Master Katara, perhaps you would prefer the palace gardens,” Chise said, sounding somewhat nervous. Katara turned to her as the firebender added, “They would provide more privacy.”</p><p>“I don’t think—” Katara started, then noticing the scattered look in both her keepers’ eyes, she nodded her head in concession. “Sure.” They wanted to keep her as out of sight as possible, and a blue-clad waterbender hanging around the courtyard fountains was certain to draw attention.</p><p>Obliging, Katara allowed them to lead her to a much smaller, more secluded garden which was enclosed by a tall stone wall and centered around a pond. There was a willow tree on the far side of the shore, whose draping leaves grazed the surface of the water, as well as several cloud trees and a giant maple under which Katara took a seat on a bench. Chise and Chizuru stood off to her side, quietly giving her some semblance of space.</p><p>There was a small family of turtle ducks floating on the water, which brought a tiny smile to Katara’s lips: two adults, and a series of what looked like halfway grown ducklings. They’d lost their down, but had yet to come fully into their feathers. For a long moment she watched them glide over the water, paddling this way and that under the evening sky. Beyond the garden walls the sun was setting, painting wispy clouds in hues of pink and orange. Already, nearly a day had passed.</p><p>After tonight it would be just two more days until the wedding. Seemingly out of nowhere, an old fortuneteller’s voice popped into her head: <em> You will marry a great and powerful bender. </em>Katara slumped forward, cradling her face in her hands. Could the woman have really meant Zuko? Something familiar tugged at her heartstrings, and for the first time in a long while she allowed herself to examine it.</p><p>She missed Aang. Deep down, buried beneath all of the horrors of war she had witnessed, beneath the duty to her people and her bold determination to bring the Fire Nation to its knees, some small part of her held on to the notion that Aang would return to save her from this fate; that she wouldn’t have to go it alone. It was stupid, really. He’d been gone five years and he’d left without a word. Obviously she couldn’t mean <em> that </em> much to him if he hadn’t spared her the barest courtesy of telling her where he was going. <em> Stupid, stupid Aang </em>.</p><p>Katara gripped the forward edge of the stone bench with both hands, fingers curling around its underside. Her feelings for him had been childish, she knew. They’d only been children back then. Still, his disappearance felt more like a betrayal than it should have given the circumstances, the deepest betrayal she had ever known if she was honest, and it gnawed at her insides as a snow rat does the dead. </p><p>An even darker, pettier part of her wondered what he would say if he knew her present situation. Maybe he <em> did </em> already know; it wasn’t like the news was private anymore, and word traveled fast. Perhaps he had heard. Aang had always seemed like the jealous type, and she took bitter satisfaction in imagining his rage upon discovering that not only was she getting married, but to Zuko of all people. The airbender had hurt her, badly, and there was a loud part of her that wanted him to hurt, too.</p><p>All of that aside, her future did look truly terrible. She had known Ozai would be cruel, but she had not anticipated the monstrosity she’d witnessed earlier in the War Room. Worse, she knew she’d only glanced <em> the tip of the iceberg </em> , as her people would say, and that more was sure to come. Katara was certain there were many horrors here that had yet to be made known to her—horrors her husband-to-be clearly had no intention or capability of shielding her from. It was so awful, how he’d just bowed down and <em> taken it </em>, maybe even more disturbing to her than Ozai’s words. Katara couldn’t fathom how any human could allow themselves to be treated like such...utter garbage.</p><p>
  <em> Then again here I am, lamenting over someone who tossed me out like garbage, too. </em>
</p><p>Too late to bend Katara noticed the wetness that had started to leak down her cheeks, and she quickly mopped the tears away with the back of her sleeve. Frowning, she glanced over her shoulder to see if Chise and Chizuru had noticed. If they had they’d pretended not to, both standing regally off to the side with their backs straight and chins high. A shadow fell over Katara and she shivered, turning back around expecting the sun to have finally set—and instead finding herself looking up into the face of Mai. Katara jumped.</p><p>“S-sorry,” the waterbender stammered, smudging away the last remnants of tears. Had she seen? “I didn’t know you were there.”</p><p>“I was just taking a walk,” Mai replied in her impassive voice. “It’s a nice garden.”</p><p>“Oh. Yeah, it is,” Katara replied, unsure what the other woman wanted from her.</p><p>“I have many memories here. Some better than others,” Mai continued, wistful. “Soon you will, too.”</p><p>Katara’s jaw clenched. She really didn’t want to have this conversation right now—whatever ‘this’ conversation was.</p><p>Thankfully, Mai didn’t pry. “Are you coming to dinner?” she asked.</p><p>Katara exhaled, a mix of relief and exasperation. “Dinner?”</p><p>Mai nodded. “The palace nobles and their guests take dinner together each night. It would be weird if you didn’t come.” Despite the fact that she clearly had a point of view about this, the knife-wielder’s voice continued to be void of all emotion.</p><p>“Oh,” Katara replied, gazing down at her palms which rested upturned in her lap. Somehow she wasn’t hungry, but she supposed that didn’t really matter. “I guess so, then.”</p><p>Mai tilted her head, staring at her. There was an odd look in her eye and Katara wasn’t sure she wanted to know the knife-wielder’s thoughts. “I’ll show you,” was all she said before starting down the path.</p><p>Katara blinked twice before getting up and following Mai to dinner.</p><p>
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</p><p>The rest of the walk was spent in silence, which made Katara feel awkward but Mai didn’t seem to mind. Katara had never spent time with her beyond their few instances of physical conflict, which seemed so far away now, but the knife-wielder didn’t appear to be much for words. Either that, or she just really didn’t like her which was also likely, Katara supposed. She knew they’d been together—Mai and Zuko—and from the whole welcome party debacle and the way they’d sat so close together in the carriage, Katara had an inkling that there was something still between them. Katara’s gaze fell to her feet as she walked. She wished she could just say, <em> you can have him! </em> but she knew it was more complicated than that.</p><p>Mai brought her to an open-air dining hall of sorts, under the eaves of the palace’s second tier. A long table of dark wood—already surrounded with faces—stretched out between tall columns on the terrace, with space for something like twenty seats if Katara had to guess. Steaming teapots and bottles of rice wine waited for them.</p><p>“There you are, Mai!” Ty Lee waved Mai over to sit with her at the far end of the table. Seeing Katara her face fell. “And...you, waterbender,” she added, though it didn’t sound malicious—more confused. Katara simply nodded. Turning back to Mai as Mai took a seat, Ty Lee asked, “Where were you? I’ve been looking for you all day.”</p><p>“I took a long walk,” Katara heard Mai say simply.</p><p>Katara looked around, more awkward than before. There were other nobles seated as well, a group of older adults towards the opposite end of the table—a mix of military and aristocracy from the looks of them—and a few younger folks who also looked military were already making headway on a bottle of rice wine in the center. Spine going rigid as she noticed Azula approaching out of the corner of her eye, Katara opted to take her chances with the strangers. Zuko was nowhere to be seen.</p><p>The young nobles around her quieted as she took a seat on one of the remaining empty cushions, and Katara couldn’t help the heavy, bubble-mouthed sigh that escaped her. It was going to be a long evening. She did her best to ignore their shifty-eyed glances as the conversation turned from something about gambling and a crazy night out to guarded small talk. <em> Only one thing can make this any better at this point </em>, Katara thought dryly.</p><p>Looking directly at the young, narrow-faced man in a high collar and armored shoulder piece and breastplate across from her she said, “Will you please pass me the bottle of rice wine?”</p><p>His dark eyes widened. “Uh...sure,” he managed.</p><p>“Thank you,” Katara said pointedly as he passed it to her. She poured her small glass full and downed it, before filling the drinkware right back up. The alcohol burned her throat. </p><p>“Rough day there?” the woman next to her asked. Down the table, Katara could hear Azula chastising Mai and Ty Lee about their cuticles not being well-trimmed. The mere sound of her voice was enough to sharpen whatever edge had started to dull from the wine.</p><p>Katara glanced at the firebending woman next to her, with hair pulled into a fringeless top knot and unblinking amber eyes. “You could say that,” Katara muttered and downed the second glass.</p><p>“Save some,” the man across from her remarked, reaching across the table to snatch the bottle from where it sat in front of Katara and downing a glass himself.</p><p>“Keeping up for once, Hoshi?” the man to his right—a taller, bulkier soldier—chided, which earned him an elbow to the side.</p><p>The laugh that escaped Katara was genuine, earning her a surprised glance from both of them.</p><p>“There you are, Zu-Zu. We were missing you,” Katara heard Azula say, making her grow rigid. “Where have you been all day?” As she spoke a wave of servants descended, placing family-style bowls of fig dumplings crusted in Fire flakes at even intervals along the table.</p><p>Not daring to look over her shoulder, the waterbender instead chanced a peripheral glance Azula’s way only to find the Fire princess’s cunning gaze trained on <em> her </em>, rather than her brother—who circled around the head of the table. Suddenly the cushion to Katara’s right felt very, very empty. Katara did as Hoshi had done and reached across the table for the rice wine, pouring herself a third glass.</p><p>“Mind your own business,” Katara heard Zuko snap as he took a seat on the opposite side of the table from Katara, near the head between Azula and Mai. </p><p>Katara didn’t miss how the attention of her warrior seatmates fell on her then, amplifying whatever ugly feeling had crept up inside her and making heat spread across her cheeks. <em> Humiliation </em> . For some dumb reason, she’d expected Zuko to sit with <em> her </em>. Apparently they had, too.</p><p>The wine was making her sensitive. She hadn’t had a proper meal in over a week and her stomach was probably shrunken to the size of a sea prune. Katara snatched several dumplings with her chopsticks and began to stuff them into her mouth.</p><p>“Do they not feed you in the poles? Surely our officials have not allowed food supply shortages,” the woman to her left said wryly as she took a dumpling for herself. Across from her, the bulky man snickered while the one called Hoshi choked on his drink.</p><p>“I would have thought the Fire Nation were the ones with a supply shortage given the way your princess hosts her...guests.” The last word came out uncertain—<em> is that what she was? </em> —but the sentiment stood. Katara savored another dumpling, paying no mind to how its spiciness seared and burned her mouth. She was <em> so </em> hungry, and the wine was making her hungrier.</p><p>“Honestly,” Hoshi started after he’d poured another glass of the rice wine, leaning forward with darkened eyes, “She’s kind of a huge bitch.”</p><p>Katara laughed loudly, caught off-guard. If it’d been Sokka tossing around the b-word, she might have chastised him over using gendered insults, but in this instance she couldn’t be bothered. Hoshi was grinning at her, proud of himself with a flicker of something else in his eyes—<em> was he flirting with her? </em> Unthinking, Katara glanced down the table towards where the princess in question sat. Her heart stopped.</p><p>Zuko stared back at her, with something like resentment on his face.</p><p>Katara looked back down at her plate, whatever fleeting joy she’d felt evaporating. Luckily a flurry of arms descended on the table once more, leaving plates of Komodo sausage, noodles and large bowls of rice. Trying to distract herself, she snatched a sausage, finding it greasier than the Puffin-seal sausages she was used to back home but just as delicious, if not more so. As she ate, Katara took great care <em> not </em> to look in the direction of the Fire prince.</p><p>“You can’t say that about your commanding officer, Hoshi,” the woman to Katara’s left hissed quietly. “Even if it is true.”</p><p>“Oh just relax, Lijuan,” Hoshi replied. His words had started to blur together a bit.</p><p>“Yeah, just relax Lijuan—Hoshi has everything under control,” the man to Hoshi’s right mocked in an imitating voice.</p><p>When several moments had passed and she’d deemed it safe, Katara stole another subtle, sidelong glance in Zuko’s direction. Thankfully he was no longer paying her any mind, instead saying something inaudible to Mai who was sitting very close to him. Suddenly feeling like an intruder, Katara shifted her attention away again and instead opted to follow Hoshi and the others into oblivion. She reached for the rice wine once more.</p><p>For being Fire Nation, the three weren’t bad company. A few others joined in at some point, all of them joking at each others’ expense and conjuring up dumb ideas for drinking games that no one really followed as they were all just drinking like fish regardless. The servants brought more plates of sausage and noodles, followed by chili-crusted ocean kumquats and mochi for dessert. Katara could’ve sworn she ate her body’s weight and then some, trying her best to enjoy herself and never looking back at her betrothed—though at times she could almost feel the weight of a pair of golden eyes on her.</p><p>It wasn’t until Ty Lee said, “Where are you off to, Zuko? You haven’t touched your plate.” that Katara paid the Fire prince any more mind, by which point he’d already disappeared into the dimness of the palace. </p><p>With the laughter of Hoshi and Lijuan and the other man, Wang Lei, ringing in her ears, Katara finally allowed her gaze to flicker to where Zuko had been sitting moments earlier. She felt his absence more than she should have.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Your reviews give me life! So happy y'all are digging this, and I know, Ozai is a piece of shit. I'm sorry. I had to. Anyway, here's a long one for you all. More coming!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
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    <p>Zuko flung open the door to his bedchamber, making straight for his chest of drawers. Tearing open the drawer at the bottom of the rung, he removed the detachable plank of wood in the back which disguised the drawer’s secret compartment and pulled out a handful of black clothes along with a familiar wooden mask. Quickly he shrugged off his formal tunic and robes and removed his crown to leave it on the dresser, instead slipping into the dark body-hugging garments and tucking his hair into his hood.</p><p>He paused for a moment and examined the wooden mask in his hands. Its face was that of a demon, with black voids in place of eyes, tusk-like fangs and an unnerving wily grin. Zuko wasn’t proud of the fact that he’d had it dredged from the bottom of fucking Lake Laogai, and that he now had a lifelong debt to some earthbender whom he paid every month to keep his very punishable secret, but so often since returning to the palace he’d found himself in situations where his crown only robbed him of power rather than granted it—and <em> fuck! </em>Sometimes he just needed an out!</p><p>At least Uncle Iroh wasn’t around to see it. This time, his shame was his own. Which, Uncle Iroh would probably have something to say about that too, wherever the old man was these days—<em> humility is the opposite of shame </em> and blah blah blah—but Zuko just didn’t see how humility would serve him or his nation here. Besides, he would apparently be married in two days and sneaking out at night would become insurmountably more difficult with someone...someone...Zuko’s stomach lurched. He hated to think of it, living in close proximity to the waterbender, opening the door for her to peer into his life and pass her sanctimonious judgment over every aspect of it as she saw fit. <em> Spirits be damned. </em></p><p>With ragged breaths he motioned to tie the mask around his face, not realizing until he tried to fasten its knot that his fingers shook. <em> Agni, </em> he swore again. He needed to clear his head before he tore off someone else’s. Tucking his dual broadswords into their sheaths on his back, Zuko crossed to one of the open windows on the far side of the room, slipped through the burgundy curtains which danced slightly in the breeze and climbed out of the window.</p><p>Sneaking out of the palace was no easy feat, but he’d been doing it his whole life. The Fire prince knew exactly how often the patrols circled the parameters of each palace tier, in which corners archers stood prepared to train their fire on any possible intruders, and which crevices and crannies held his body weight as he descended two stories of roofing and support pillars. After scaling several walls and rafters, keeping to the shadows as much as possible all the while, his feet hit the ground with a soft <em> thud </em>. From there it was a quick escape into the city.</p><p>Zuko wasn’t really sure what he was looking for. Conspirators against the crown? Self-fulfillment? A fight? It’d been months since he’d donned the blue mask and really, he decided, more than anything he just wanted to run and sweat like he used to. Being in the palace was like being in a fucking cage, and lately the walls had been getting smaller and smaller. Sprinting under market awnings, dodging patrols of Fire guards and observing Capital City from the careful distance of the rooftops often made him miss traveling and chasing the Avatar to the ends of the earth—which was why he rarely allowed himself to do so these days. That way lay ruin.</p><p>Tonight had been too much, though. For all of his talk of the future, it sure was pretty fucking difficult to move on from the past with the waterbending girl around, scrutinizing him with those all-perceiving ice blue eyes, not even trying to hide her repugnance for him and everything he stood for. It was a cruel twist of fate that of all possible political marriages he could have been saddled with, his father had chosen the <em> one </em> person who would serve as a constant reminder of his past failures and choices; too cruel a twist to be a coincidence really, and it further solidified his suspicion that the universe—and probably his father, too—simply hated him.</p><p>Moreover, his little bride-to-be had had the gall to <em> mock him </em> in front of his entire class, flirting and galavanting with that loud-mouthed Lieutenant Hoshi. A <em> lieutenant </em> for fuck’s sake. She could have done him the courtesy of enthralling herself with the likes of a captain or some aristocrat, at the very least. The only reason Hoshi ever even found himself in the palace was because Captain Lijuan liked him and she was a general’s daughter. Zuko was lucky Azula hadn’t seemed to notice, too busy bragging about whatever she was currently getting off on to Mai and Ty Lee—and the waterbender was lucky too, for Agni’s sake! Zuko ground his teeth together, hauling himself up the side of a dwelling to run along the spine of its roof instead.</p><p>It was a clear night, and the Fire prince noted how many stars twinkled in the sky. A breeze sailed with him over the rooftops, cooling the sweat he’d already started to break. The moon was bright, nearly full and he stared at it for a while through the slits in his mask before he tore his attention away—feeling suddenly too seen by its glow. Too late: he was already drowning in memories, as though the moon spirit had drug the whole tide over him herself. </p><p><em> You rise with the moon </em> . <em> I rise with the sun. </em></p><p>
  <em> The Fire Nation took my mother away from me. </em>
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  <em> I’m sorry. That’s something we have in common.  </em>
</p><p>Even now, he could feel the ghost of her hand on his face. </p><p>
  <em> It’s a scar; it can’t be healed. </em>
</p><p>None of it could. The damage was done. It’d been done long before they’d met.</p><p>“Agni take me,” he muttered, sliding down the curve of an eave, catching himself briefly to dangle from one of the building’s gutters before allowing himself to drop to the dark alleyway below. Zuko hit the ground running, and for the first time in a long while he allowed himself to be swallowed by the night.</p><p>
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</p><p>The next day in the War Room, Zuko struggled to focus. He’d hardly slept at all, choosing instead to run himself ragged till the sun had nearly risen and he felt as though he’d collapse. Now he paid the price in the form of a pounding headache, and already he could feel soreness stiffening his shoulders, abdomen and thighs, having physically pushed his body for the first time in weeks. He tried his best to concentrate, what with Ozai’s generals surrounding him and his father’s gaze hot at his back, but it was difficult.</p><p>Together they strategized on the next phase of their ‘assimilation plans’ for the former Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes—assimilation being loosely defined, and of which Zuko was supposedly deeply integral. He’d become somewhat of an enforcer in the days since the Fire Nation had taken victory, traveling around as his father saw fit and aiding in the establishment of new military strongholds throughout the world. When the people of their new territories rose up, he and his forces put them right back down. Zuko didn’t feel good doing it—celebrated as the Fire Nation’s military was, there was nothing personally rewarding for him about war—but he knew it was for the best. Less disobedience meant less death. He never showed his resignation outwardly, though, and especially not when Azula was near. It’d been five years since his return and still, she was always searching for weakness in him.</p><p>In a more ideal world, perhaps this little marriage of his could have actually done something in the way of peace, if <em> she </em> had been anyone other than...Katara. Even the thought of her name made him wince, as though he had no right to think it. This was not that world, however: she was the Water Chieftain’s daughter and he was the Fire Lord’s son, and there was nothing between them but history: bloody and irreparable.</p><p>Zuko was sure he would never forget the day his father had told him what his future would hold, having oddly summoned him to this very room after hours some two weeks ago. <em> You will wed the daughter of Chief Hakoda, of the Southern Water Tribe. </em> Kneeling there on the wooden floor, the first words out of Zuko’s mouth had been in protest—and <em> why </em> could he never just <em> accept </em> things as they were—but surprisingly, it had not been rage that he’d felt. </p><p>It’d been guilt.</p><p>As if he hadn’t already robbed her of the future she’d fought for once, now he would do it a second time? The waterbender was insolent and wrong and her faith was misplaced, but Zuko knew she did not deserve <em> this </em>. This was his own personal hell, and he’d meant to burn in it alone.</p><p>
  <em> At least Uncle Iroh had escaped, Agni knows how. </em>
</p><p>“What do you think, my son?” Ozai’s words broke Zuko’s thoughts.</p><p>The Fire prince swallowed, glancing down at the strategy board before him and never turning to face the source of the voice. <em> Fuck </em>. His thoughts had wandered again, and now he was lost. “I...I am not sure, father. I would like to defer to someone with more experience in these matters—such as General Mung,” Zuko managed as firmly as possible, hoping that by humiliating himself somewhat he would be spared his father’s wrath. General Mung glared daggers at him.</p><p>“Has not General Mung spoken enough already?” the Fire Lord replied from his throne. “I would prefer to hear your thoughts, Crown Prince.”</p><p>Zuko exhaled through his nostrils, all eyes on him. “I believe that more integration is needed from our end. Most of the integration efforts so far have been through military force, while the new territories have retained many of their own public officials, as well as teachers, doctors and other community leaders. They should be replaced with Fire Nation loyalists—our own, preferably.” It wasn’t untrue, those <em> were </em> his thoughts generally speaking—he just hoped it was relevant to whatever discussion they’d been having.</p><p>There was a pause, then some of the generals nodded, exchanging looks amongst themselves. </p><p>“I see,” said the Fire Lord. Zuko braced for his father’s fury, but it never came. “Go on then, elaborate.” His father sounded uninterested and unconvinced, but pacified enough for the time being. <em> If only so that he doesn’t make himself look bad by calling out my stupidity, </em> Zuko mentally berated himself.</p><p>But he would not disappoint his father twice, so he told them.</p><p>
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</p><p>Hours later, the meeting adjourned. Zuko had it in his mind to make a break for his bedchamber and finally catch some sleep, and it was with glazed eyes that he started off in that direction—until Mai stopped him. Her face was hard.</p><p>“Mai,” he said, startled. “What is it?”</p><p>She crossed her arms. “We need to talk,” she said blankly, hooking her finger into his tunic and dragging him around a corner where they could share some privacy.</p><p>Zuko’s heart thundered against his ribcage. “What is it?” he repeated.</p><p>“What do you think, spiderfly brain? It’s your betrothed,” Mai replied in a low voice.</p><p>Zuko flinched. “Don’t call her that.”</p><p>“Why not? It’s the truth.” Mai stared up at him, unblinking beneath her heavy fringe.</p><p>It was Zuko’s turn to cross his arms. “Well I don’t like to hear it from you.”</p><p>“I’m not going to coddle you—and you shouldn’t coddle me, either. It’s gross. We’re adults now. Act like it,” Mai replied.</p><p>Zuko frowned. Her posture was closed off as she leaned against the wall with a sigh, and it unsettled him. “What’s that supposed to mean?” </p><p>“It means you don’t have to like her, but you should show some respect. You didn’t sit with her at dinner last night and I don’t know what you said to her before that, but she was sobbing in the garden all afternoon, draped over herself like some sort of wilted Fire lily. It was pathetic.” Mai emphasized the last word. When Zuko reached for her wrist she drew away, leaving his fist to clench at his side instead. </p><p>“I didn’t want to sit with her. I wanted to sit with you,” he grit out, trying to ignore how his heart rate continued to accelerate.</p><p>Mai rolled her eyes. “I understand, but it’s not about us right now. You’re not doing yourself any favors by ignoring her,” she said, jabbing a finger into his chest. “It doesn’t look very good on your part.”</p><p>Zuko’s gaze fell to the floor. “It’s not like I can look any worse. This meeting was a disaster,” he muttered. “The Fire Nation thinks I’m a joke.”</p><p>“Please, there have been enough tears already. Everyone’s being so dramatic.” She shot Zuko a sidelong glance. “Chise and Chizuru said the waterbender hasn’t left her room since last night. I mean, give me a break.”</p><p>“Big deal. It’s not even evening yet,” Zuko retorted, desperately shoving away the something-like-guilt that started to crawl its way up his throat, tightening his chest.</p><p>“Just go to her.” To his surprise, Mai shoved him with one hand and he stumbled back. “I’m a big girl, Zuko. I can handle it.”</p><p>“I don’t want you to have to handle it,” he replied through clenched teeth.</p><p>“Like I said, don’t coddle me. I’ll see you tonight,” Mai said. </p><p>With that she was gone, leaving Zuko feeling more alone than ever in the empty corridor.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Updating in the middle of the night because I require instant gratification. Unexpected Zuko chapter, ayyyyy! I know not everybody likes POV alternating fics, and I thought about keeping this one strictly Katara to make it feel more Pure(TM) and Novel-like(TM) but I think there are just some things that would be better illustrated through Zuko's POV. Plus being in his head brings that sweet, sweet self-loathing catharsis. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed! Please kudo and review if you're digging it. Otherwise I'll never know. :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You are expected at breakfast, Master.” Ichiko’s words roused Katara from sleep. Katara wasn’t sure what time it was, but her internal clock told her it was early—too early to have slept off all of the alcohol.</p><p>“I’ll stay here,” Katara mumbled in reply, rubbing her eyes. She was in no mind to put herself right back into last night’s situation, forced to socialize with Fire Nation nobility and military.</p><p>“Master, some would find that inappropriate. It is tradition for palace guests to dine together when able, and since you have no current engagements…,” Ichiko drifted off.</p><p>“I don’t want to.” Katara rolled over, away from Ichiko’s gaze. </p><p>The waterbender could feel Ichiko’s stare boring a hole in the back of her head, but the servant merely said, “Of course, Master,” though it was apparent she found it disreputable. Katara couldn’t care less. What were they going to do, ship her back home? Lock her up with her brother? She doubted it.</p><p>It’d been a while since Katara had had a hangover—not since the night before Sokka and Suki had left for the North Pole, and before that even longer. On the last occasion, it’d felt right to celebrate with her brother and Suki, knowing it would likely be a long time before they saw each other again. That night she’d enjoyed herself, downing bottles of plum wine and singing songs with her friends and family like the dawn would never come. Last night, however, had been anything but a celebration.</p><p>Still, her company for the night hadn’t been <em> unkind </em>, surprisingly—though after a while it wouldn’t have mattered to her either way, deep in her cups as she was. Whatever pain she’d drowned in the rice wine, she felt now. Not just the headache or the nausea or the physical fatigue, but the emotional toll, too. As she lay there in the dim light of her room, oddly thankful for the lack of windows, a soreness spread outward from her heart which had nothing to do with lack of sleep or hydration.</p><p>Finally, it’d started to sink in: this was her life now, and it would be a long time before she returned home—if ever. The thought was thick and stifling, clouding her senses and chilling her the way ice fog did in the polar winter. Deep down, some part of her had expected to wake up somewhere else, and upon waking to find herself inundated with unmistakably Fire Nation decor Katara rolled over and buried her face in a pillow. She didn’t even think about the muffled groan that escaped her sometime later until Ichiko addressed it.</p><p>“Is there something I can do for you, Master?” the servant asked from where she knelt at a small table in the far corner of the room. She didn’t sound particularly enthusiastic.</p><p>“No, I’m fine,” Katara grumbled into her pillow. Sometime during the night she’d shrugged off her shift, now wearing just her sarashis. The waterbender drew her blankets close, a chill dancing along her arms and up the back of her neck. “Is it cold in here to you?” she asked, turning her face towards Ichiko.</p><p>“I am not cold, but I can build a fire for you if you like, Master,” Ichiko replied mechanically without looking up. She appeared to be writing something on a piece of parchment.</p><p>Katara felt almost guilty for bothering the servant, even if it was her job, but for once in her life she let the lazy part of her get the best of her—which also made her feel guilty, naturally. “I would very much appreciate that,” Katara murmured.</p><p>Ichiko stiffened, drawing a long breath in through her nostrils. “Alright,” she replied and dropped her quill.</p><p>Katara watched silently as her servant moved to the fireplace and grabbed a pair of spark rocks from a basket near the hearth. Ichiko really <em> was </em> young—maybe just a few years older than herself—but there was something aged in her posture. Years of servitude, Katara wondered? She moved with the rigidity of someone in pain, possibly her neck or shoulders from the way she didn’t turn her head.</p><p>“Thank you,” Katara said softly.</p><p>A moment’s silence passed, then, “Of course, Master.”</p><p>Katara watched as Ichiko struck the rocks together, a fire taking hold in the kindling. Quickly it grew, overtaking the logs in the hearth and becoming a crackling blaze. Already Katara felt the heat on her skin, taking comfort in its warmth and how it reminded her of being home in her hut surrounded by people she loved. Finished, Ichiko crossed back to the table and picked up her quill once more. It was odd, Katara thought, to watch someone of the Fire Nation perform such mundane tasks. She was so used to observing their display of military might and terror, they hardly seemed capable of ordinary life. Ichiko was not a soldier, though; probably had never been.</p><p>Katara shuddered, several beads of sweat breaking out along her forehead. Her nausea had started to dull, only to be replaced by a bone-deep ache. Was this normal for hangovers? She’d never been much of a drinker, but something told her it wasn’t. The waterbender closed her eyes and drew the slightest bit of humidity from the air to her fingertips, brushing them along her sides and across her stomach. </p><p>Her instincts were right. There was an illness blooming in her, though from the feel of it it was nothing serious. Still, it’d been years since she’d had to suffer so much as a common cold thanks to her bending and as of now...she didn’t think healing herself would be permitted. She would have to wait it out for the time being.</p><p>It was like that Katara spent what felt like the greater part of the day, tossing and turning in bed and growing increasingly achy and feverish. She closed her eyes, letting the warmth of the fire guide her thoughts back to better times. She remembered campfires, before the war ended, laying out under stars with the best friends in the world, all of their faces full of laughter and hope that a better future waited for them. What a terrible thing, that what came after the war could in many ways be worse than the war itself. How she longed for those days, when she still had hope that things would get better. For all of the Fire Nation’s oppression and tyranny, their exploitation and extraction, at least they could not rob her of her memories. Katara sighed, relaxing into her pillows. </p><p>Just then, the door of her suite slid open. Chise stood in the entry. “Master, the Crown Prince requires an audience with you,” she said with a bow.</p><p>Katara’s eyelids flew open and she shot up in bed. “Now?”</p><p>Ichiko was already making her way across the room with a silken crimson-colored robe. “Here you are, Master.”</p><p>Katara barely had time to tie her sash before Chise bowed again, side-stepping so Zuko could enter. “The Crown Prince, Master.”</p><p>Having just settled back into bed, Katara glared at him from across the rather spacious room. There were quite a few strides’ worth of distance between them, but it didn’t feel like enough. This was <em> her </em> space—or so she’d thought. Even if he <em> was </em> the Crown Prince, he had no right to come barging in.</p><p>“You could at least have the decency to allow me to get dressed,” Katara said stonily.</p><p>To her displeasure he crossed to her, golden eyes trained on her like a hawk. He was once again dressed in his formal armor and shoulder mantle, though with his hair pulled back from his face she could clearly see the shadows under his eyes, accentuated by the firelight. He looked exhausted.</p><p>“I’m told you haven’t left your chamber all day,” he said, coming to a stop just off the edge of her bed, looming over her. <em> Who’d told him that? It wasn’t his business </em>. Katara shifted away from him ever so slightly, towards the center of the mattress. “Are you going to tell me why?” His tone was laced with irritation.</p><p>She scowled. “Gee, I don’t know. Are you going to pretend a little harder that you actually care?”</p><p>Zuko frowned, stiffening. “You shouldn’t skip meals.”</p><p>Katara couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Says the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, who’s probably never gone hungry in his life.”</p><p>The Crown Prince’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not true.”</p><p>Katara rolled her eyes and pulled the blanket up to her chest. “Alright, if you say so,” she replied, looking away.</p><p>Zuko took a step closer, enunciating very clearly. “You don’t know anything about my life.”</p><p>Katara’s gaze swiveled back to him, startled. Why did he sound so <em> bitter? </em> “Fine, I don’t. And I didn’t go to breakfast because I didn’t want to!” she snapped, muttering, “Are you happy now?” as an afterthought.</p><p>“No, I’m not happy,” Zuko shot back.</p><p>“If you’ll forgive me for interrupting, Your Highness, the Master has been feeling unwell today,” Ichiko said quietly from her corner. Both of their heads turned towards the servant.</p><p>“I’m just tired,” Katara said, exasperated as she looked back at Zuko.</p><p>“More like hungover,” Zuko accused. “Had a lot of fun with Lieutenant Hoshi last night, did we?” the Crown Prince leaned closer to her, words acidic as he searched her face like he’d find some sort of secret there.</p><p><em> Hoshi </em> , <em> that was his name </em>. Katara hadn’t remembered till now. </p><p>She hated the way Zuko was looking at her. “What does it matter to you? <em> You </em> couldn’t be bothered to do so much as sit next to me, let alone <em> speak </em> to me. Unlike you, Hoshi and his friends made me feel welcome. I was just trying my best to have some fun in this Spirits-forsaken place, and besides, you don’t see him in my bed do you?!” Katara gestured to the wide empty space of the mattress. “Not like you have room to talk anyway.”</p><p>“What’s that supposed to mean, waterbender?” The term was an insult on his tongue. Something inside her snapped.</p><p>“You know what it means, <em> firebender </em>. I’m not stupid. I see the way you and Mai look at each other. It’s pretty fucking obvious you’re together,” Katara seethed. She was done with his acting like she couldn’t see with her own eyes.</p><p>“We’re not together,” Zuko grit out. Katara noted how his hands flexed at his sides, and she half-expected him to call the whole fireplace into his palms. Clearly, he did not like to be held accountable for anything.</p><p>Katara straightened her back against the pillows. “I don’t care if you are.”</p><p>Zuko’s eyes narrowed further, his breathing growing more ragged, but he didn’t say anything. He looked like he didn’t believe her.</p><p>“Believe me, I don’t. It won’t make a difference in my life either way, so long as you keep it between yourselves after we’re married so as not to undermine the alliance. Like we’ve established, neither of us have a personal investment in this—so what does it matter?” Katara shrugged. “I don’t want to keep you from having your fun.”</p><p><em> And the less I have to deal with you, the better </em>, she thought.</p><p>“We’re not together,” Zuko repeated, looking away. In the corner, Ichiko was very pointedly <em> not </em> paying attention. Lowering his voice he added, “We used to be, but not anymore.”</p><p>Katara blinked. Even if they weren’t together, she got the feeling he wasn’t over it. Again, he was treating her like she was stupid. “If you say so,” she said again.</p><p>Turning back to her, he looked like he was about to say something else when his brow furrowed. “You’re sweating a lot,” he said.</p><p>Katara swallowed, becoming instantly more aware of the headache pounding behind her eyes. “It’s hot in here. I’m not used to heat.”</p><p>Zuko regarded her with something like suspicion before reaching out to brush the back of his hand against her forehead. He scowled when Katara recoiled from his touch, but kept his hand where it was. “You have a fever.”</p><p>Katara sighed, sinking into her sheets. “I’ll be fine. Just worn out from the journey,” she mumbled. She wanted to say, <em> Just let me heal myself </em> but she didn’t. Sometimes it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission, as Sokka would say. It wasn’t like he didn’t know she had healing powers anyway.</p><p>He didn’t listen. Turning to Ichiko he said, “Draw her a hot bath, then find her something to eat. The wedding is in two days, for Agni’s sake.”</p><p>“Of course, Sir.” Ichiko shuffled to the bathchamber, notably much more enthusiastic to follow orders when they were out of Zuko’s mouth, and began to draw Katara’s bath. </p><p>“I will stay here. Make sure you return with plenty—and take the other two if you need to,” the Fire Prince said when Ichiko hesitated near the doorway. She nodded and gave a quick bow, then she was gone.</p><p>“I’m really not—” Katara started, but Zuko cut her off.</p><p>“Heal yourself, waterbender. I’d prefer it if you finished before they return,” he said quietly, nodding towards the bath.</p><p>Katara’s eyes widened. He was going to let her bend? The Fire Prince met her hesitation with an irritated glare, however, and that was all Katara needed to climb out of the bed and make her way past the sliding screen door of the bathchamber. She paused for a moment in the doorway, giving him a quick glance over her shoulder. He watched her with scrutinizing eyes, arms folded over his chest.</p><p>"Do you want me to change my mind?" he snapped, so Katara slipped inside without reply or any more hesitation.</p><p>It was an odd feeling to untie the silk robe and unravel her sarashis with a man—<em> Zuko </em>, of all people—so near, even with a wall between them. For a long moment she paused, unsure of how to continue and regarding her off-color complexion in the mirror. No wonder he’d taken pity on her; she didn’t look well at all.</p><p>Katara’s body ached and so she disrobed delicately, unraveling the binds over her torso and hips with care. Despite the warmth of steam and the fire burning in the adjacent room, the air was cool on her bare skin, sending shivers down her limbs and spine in that way that <em> hurt </em> and <em> ached </em> with feverishness. She shuddered and quietly submerged herself in the tub, limb by limb.</p><p>She was as silent as possible, hyper-aware of the fact that Zuko could probably hear her every move—the way the water lapped against her naked skin and the walls of the washtub. She wondered if he felt as awkward as she did, or if being near naked women was such a normal thing in his life he wouldn’t bat an eye. It sure seemed like the latter, given the way he’d thoughtlessly burst into her room. She could’ve been naked <em> then </em> , for all he knew! <em> Tui’s gills </em>.</p><p>Still, Katara did as best as she could to ignore her lack of privacy, focusing instead on drawing the bath water to herself, a sort of shell which warmed and soothed her aches and chills. Breathing deep, she forced her mind to empty of thoughts and worries, instead taking in a calmness to her core which she then dispersed outward through her arms, legs and digits. It was like that that she drew out the illness, relaxing as best as she could while she searched and purified herself.</p><p>Katara hadn’t even realized she’d finished, and that she’d slipped away into a sort of dream-like state in the bath until Ichiko’s words and the sound of what must have been a wheeled cart broke into her thoughts sometime later. “I hope this will be sufficient, Sir,” Katara heard the servant say.</p><p>“Should be, unless the waterbender has the appetite of a dragon,” Zuko replied sardonically from beyond the screen door. “I’ll let you take it from here.”</p><p>Katara motioned to haul herself out of the bath, mouth open, the words <em> thank you </em> rising to her tongue, but he was gone before she could decide whether or not to say them.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm kind of tired, so hopefully this chapter turned out alright but I'm going camping this week so I wanted to give a quick fic update before leaving. Seriously thank you all so so so so so so much for your comments on all previous chapters, it's so awesome to have people along for this ride with me and to know I'm not just throwing chapter updates into the void. You all make my day!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“So what’s it worth, earthbender?” The Fire officer plonked something hard and heavy down on Toph’s countertop with a </span>
  <em>
    <span>thud</span>
  </em>
  <span>, sending vibrations rippling down into the floor—which unintentionally gave her a brief picture of her own shop as well as of the apartment below.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oooh,” she patronized with a grin. “Found yourself a real beauty here haven’t you, hun?” Toph feigned enthusiasm as she reached across her counter for the mineral. Behind the shelves which encased her wares—jeweled bands, chains and pins, to name a few—her client could not see the ‘unprofessionalism’ of her bare feet, which happened to be her greatest asset of all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It is, isn’t it?” he replied, hardly containing himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Toph stared unblinking and blank-faced towards where he stood opposite her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Idiot</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Of course she couldn’t actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>see</span>
  </em>
  <span> the gemstone he’d brought her for appraisal, but he was a firebender so what did he know? Jack shit, that’s what, and she was going to make sure he got ripped off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>From the moment her fingertips brushed the stone, she knew it was an emerald. Toph had never seen the color green, her former Earth Kingdom’s sigil hue, but after five years of running a gem appraisal business—or fronting as one—she’d come to know what green </span>
  <em>
    <span>felt</span>
  </em>
  <span> like. She flicked the stone with her finger, allowing reverberations to paint her a clearer picture of the item while she cradled it in her opposing palm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As far as emeralds went, it was fairly pure. Large, too—nearly the size of her fist. The thing was worth a good chunk of change. “Lemme guess, the northwestern high mountain mines?” she asked, sounding disinterested.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Pfft, you think there’s a rock that big left unturned in the high mountain mines? Try again,” he said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Si Wong desert? Harder to find gems there,” Toph mused, flicking the rock again. At first pass, she’d guess the thing was worth around one hundred gold coins.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Arctic plains,” he answered, causing Toph to stiffen. “I was there when we found it. Some waterbender pulled it up from beneath the ice, obviously had no clue what he was looking at...and if you ask me, that’s what makes them the best workers.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Toph felt how the man shifted his weight, like he wasn’t quite confident in his own words but was determined to stand behind them anyway. “So I hear,” she replied, raising an eyebrow. She stood, crossing from her chair towards the door which led to the back room and her work station. “You’ll have to give me a little bit of time. Need to weigh and measure this baby. Never seen one of these from the North Pole,” she added.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure thing,” the officer replied, turning to see himself out. “I want to get ahead of the curve you know, what with the upcoming marriage alliance and all. Market might get flooded with rocks just like that one if polar production ramps up the way they’re saying it will.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Toph tilted her head, unsure of what he meant and wary of how to proceed. “I’m sorry? Marriage alliance?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, you haven’t heard yet?” He stopped in the doorway. “The Fire Lord has arranged a marriage between Crown Prince Zuko and some Water princess. Wedding’s tomorrow in Capital City.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Toph was grateful the officer lacked the senses she possessed, because her heart nearly stopped. There was no ‘Water princess’ in the Northern Water Tribe as far as she knew, not since Princess Yue had turned into the moon at least, which meant—</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll return shortly,” the officer said, dismissing himself before she could ask any more questions.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Toph kicked the counter with her right foot, her free hand clenching into a fist. For Yangchen’s sake, why was she just now hearing about this?! Of course he’d meant Katara, unless there had been some coup in the Water Tribes which had escaped her notice. It was possible, but unlikely. Aside from serving as a front for shipments of items and transfers of funds between rebels, her jewelry shop was practically built for eavesdropping and trading information. Without fail the place was filled with nobility seven days a week, whose interests always laid with power whether they’d originally been Fire Nation or not—and within the perceived safety of her affluent upper ring shop, their lips were always loose. Lucky for Toph, she knew how to speak their language. The clientele base had practically been gifted by her parents after all: everyone worth their weight in gold in the Earth Kingdom knew the Beifong name, and they’d flocked to her shop like ostrich horses to water when she’d slapped it above the entry.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Spirits sweetness, how’d you end up engaged to that bastard?” Toph murmured aloud to herself before sighing and making her way to her work desk in the back. She’d wrap up quickly and close the shop early today. There was someone she needed to talk to.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t take long for Toph to determine the mineral’s value of one hundred and nine gold coins, or for her to lowball the Fire officer upon his return with a suggested price of seventy-five. She didn’t know whether or not disappointment showed on his face, but she heard it in his voice and felt it in his posture. Still, he had no reason to believe she would lie to him: her rate was a flat fee of five gold pieces per hour and in no way tied to the emerald’s value, nor did she make him a purchase offer. She simply handed him his appraisal certificate, collected her service charge and that was that. Of course, there were </span>
  <em>
    <span>other</span>
  </em>
  <span> appraisers in the city he could turn to if he didn’t like her pricing, but much to Toph’s pleasure and as a testament to her unique abilities, she’d quickly become the most trusted name in town. With the officer gone, she quickly closed shop, changed from her ornate dress—burgundy, she was told—into a shabby tunic fit for Fire Nation peasantry, and started off for the lower ring.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a different Ba Sing Se than the one Toph had grown up visiting. The Dai Li, former police force of the city was nowhere to be seen. Instead, patrols of Fire Nation soldiers cut their way up and down the streets, and the earthbender knew it was no coincidence that their presence increased the closer one got to the lower ring of the city. There had been riots in the early days of Fire Nation rule, and having been humiliated by the unrest, their overlords were now determined to maintain the image of sovereignty going forward. The rebels still existed of course; they’d just done what earthbenders do best and gone underground. Unfortunately King Kuei, unwilling to bend to the Fire Nation’s invasion, had been executed on the night of Ba Sing Se’s fall. Since then, the palace stood eerily empty other than occasionally quartering Fire Nation officials who were passing through. The Fire Nation had built their own towers and prisons and structures since arriving, as if to say </span>
  <em>
    <span>this land is ours now, and we’ll do with it what we please.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>From the feel of the waning sun and cool breeze on her cheeks, Toph knew it was early evening when she arrived at Mushi’s House tea shop in the lower ring. When she’d first caught word in her jewelry shop that ex-general Iroh had escaped imprisonment in the Fire Nation, she’d known it wouldn’t be long before their paths crossed again. The old man had tried to settle down in Ba Sing Se once before, and Toph knew he had an affinity for the place. He’d told her as much when together they’d gone to rescue Katara and Zuko, before his bastard nephew had betrayed them all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iroh had never deserved to be imprisoned. Even now, some four and a half years after the ex-general’s escape, the idea of him rotting in a rancid Fire Nation tower or dungeon made pressure build inside Toph’s head, causing her ears to ring. She’d been happy to help him acquire new counterfeit papers and bankroll him some coin for the new tea shop. She’d also insisted he shave his head and beard, just to be sure they wouldn’t recognize him. Lucky for him, upper ringers couldn’t be caught dead in the lower ring and she was sure his old Jasmine Dragon clientele never set foot in his new storefront. That was the beauty and tragedy of Ba Sing Se: you could live practically next door to people outside your class, and still be worlds apart.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you for coming, have a nice day!” Iroh—or </span>
  <em>
    <span>Mushi</span>
  </em>
  <span>, as he was once again called—cheerfully waved off a customer as Toph slipped inside through the tarped entryway. She felt the change in him immediately as he noticed her: surprised at first, and then cheerful again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Toph strolled up to his countertop, barely able to rest her elbows on its wooden surface. At seventeen, it felt like she was still as short as ever. “Make it a strong pot, Mr. Mushi—and grab a cup for yourself, too. We need to chat,” she said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Toph had expected Iroh’s demeanor to shift to confusion, but he simply remained as pleasant as ever. “Of course, Miss Beifong,” he said, leaning in to whisper her surname. “Always happy to chat with you.” His voice was gravelly and warm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With that she took a seat in one of the booths and waited for him to find a free minute. Mushi’s House was busy, though not nearly as busy as the Jasmine Dragon had been at its peak. People in the lower ring had less coin to spend on tea, and when they did have change to spare they didn’t have time to linger. From what Toph had gleaned, work was hard down here and the hours were long. The earthbender had yet to see Iroh’s living accommodations—they tried not to interact too often, so as not to draw suspicion should she be recognized—but she suspected they weren’t great. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t take too long for Iroh to make time for her. Soon he shuffled towards her booth, setting a large teapot down on the mat in the center of the table along with two cups. “White dragon bush,” he said proudly, taking a seat across from her and pouring her a cup. “My strongest blend.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Toph leaned back in the booth, letting the tea cool. Her feet didn’t touch the ground. “So have you had the pleasure of hearing the news yet, Mr. Mushi?” she started, knowing he wouldn’t have long to speak. Better to get right to it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“News?” Iroh parroted, blowing air on his steaming cup before lifting it to his lips and taking a slow sip. “I did hear the Hu Xin Circus is coming to town.” Toph could hear the grin in his words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The earthbender sighed, grabbing her tea and sipping it as well. “Oh joy. I wish, but it’s more serious than that. I’ve got a game for you, Uncle Sunshine. What’s the most absurd thing you could possibly think I’d tell you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iroh tapped his fingertips on the table. “Hmm,” he pondered. Then dropping his voice to a whisper and shielding his mouth with his hand, he said, “The Fire Lord has relinquished his throne and apologized to all.” As soon as the words left his mouth, a chuckle escaped the old man.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Toph couldn’t help but grin in spite of the news she’d brought. “Close. Your nephew is getting married. Tomorrow.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iroh spit out his tea, making Toph recoil as flecks of it landed on her face. “Gross!” she exclaimed, wiping her cheeks with her sleeve.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What did you say now?” Iroh’s voice turned stern.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You heard me. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Li</span>
  </em>
  <span> is getting married. Tomorrow. To Katara. For political reasons,” Toph explained, hardly believing the words herself as she said them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Something shifted in Iroh’s demeanor then. For the first time in a long time, Toph sensed anger. “How did you learn of this? Are you certain it’s true?” he said gravely.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Toph set her tea down on the table. “How do I always hear things? Just trust me, Uncle Sunshine. I’d bet my feet it’s true.” The officer had shown no signs of lying when he’d told her. She would have known if he was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That is absurd,” Iroh muttered, and Toph felt the way he slumped back in his seat. “It is hard to believe. I cannot say I have a good feeling about it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why do you think they’re doing it?” Toph asked, keeping her voice low. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I cannot be sure.” He paused and took another sip of tea. “They have had difficulty subjugating the Water Tribes, from what you have told me—but a marriage to one such as your friend would ruin my nephew’s reputation within the Fire Nation. Surely Zuko knows that, so I cannot imagine the marriage is of his own design.”</span>
  <span></span>
    <br/>
  
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Toph scowled. “What do you mean ‘ruin his reputation’? Katara’s always been way too good for that blockhead.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iroh swallowed a mouthful of tea. “I agree. My nephew has much to learn. Perhaps your friend can help him in that regard, if the marriage is true.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not her job!” Toph exclaimed, immediately lowering her voice again when she felt the attention of several onlookers. “I need to </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> something. She can’t be subjected to </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> for the rest of her life. Obviously I can’t get to the Fire Nation before tomorrow, but there has to be something we can do about it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iroh had the audacity to laugh again. “If you think of something, let me know. Ozai’s designs are like wildfires: they move quickly and unpredictably. You can try to contain them, but ultimately they must run their course.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Toph crossed her arms, letting his words sink in. After a minute she said, “You can’t fight fire with fire, I guess.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Iroh agreed, finishing the last of his tea. “You cannot. Otherwise I would have. But you </span>
  <em>
    <span>can</span>
  </em>
  <span> fight it with water, if you know what I mean.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Katara</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Maybe the old man had a point. Toph hated to think of her friend trapped in some backwards political marriage—really, it reminded her of her own upbringing and left a terrible taste in her mouth—but maybe this would give them some leverage they hadn’t had before. Iroh was right. For now, they’d have to let it run its course.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you think he’ll be nice to her?” Toph wondered aloud, cradling her teacup between her palms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iroh dusted off his apron and pushed himself out of the booth to stand. “That I cannot say. As much as it pains me to say it, it has been many years now since I have spoken with my nephew and I do not know who he is anymore. But if he is anything like the Li I knew, he is not a bad person; rather, he is blinded by a bad environment. This marriage will alter his political future. The Fire Nation would never accept a waterbender as Fire Lady. Let us hope that being thrown off that course will in turn help him find his way.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Toph nodded. “I guess so.” She didn’t like it one bit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I had better return to business,” Iroh said, all solemness leaving him, replaced by cheer once more. “Customers don’t like to be kept waiting.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“‘Course. Until next time,” Toph said with a mock salute. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh and, please, keep the teapot. I owe you some thanks,” Iroh added.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Toph wasn’t really in need of another teapot, but she didn’t want to be rude and she knew how much tea meant to the old man so she simply said, “Thanks.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With that they parted ways, and Toph started off for her upper ring apartment. Unlike others coming from the lower ring, it was easy for her to pass through the gates into the consecutive upper echelons of the city; all she had to do was say her name, even if they did hesitate when they noted her appearance. The gatekeepers may have been rebranded as Fire peons rather than Earth peons, but they still came from the same place; and on the rare occasion anyone gave her trouble, she simply paid them off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iroh had given her plenty to think about. She knew he was right—that there was nothing they could do to stop the wedding from happening, and that in some ways it could pave the way for good things to come with Katara close to the throne. Still, it was hard to imagine Katara walking down some aisle with that bastard, and more so hard to imagine a world at this point where fate would give them any reason to have hope. Especially not when the Fire prince was the whole reason things had come to this. Five years of Fire Nation rule had passed, but it’d felt like a century with each consecutive year bleaker than the last. Toph’s feet were heavy by the time she reached the stairway which led up to her landing and apartment some two hours later, both from physical and emotional exhaustion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So heavy and numb they were, she didn’t detect the presence on her doorstep until the other was aware of her too. Toph reached the top of the stairwell, just as the intruder turned around and she gasped. Her brand new teapot crashed to the wooden floor, shattering.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aang?” she said.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Little change of scenery, eh? So I'm like a month into writing this and the inspo is still with me, feels pretty good. Thank you as always to all who have been along for the ride! I reaaaallllly look forward to your comments and it makes writing so much more fun. Anyway, I know some of you wanted to know what Toph was up to so there you have it! Also did I mention this is a slow burn? Maybe the wedding chapter will come some day...eventually...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>On the morning of the wedding Katara sat in bed with a tray across her lap, struggling to hold down her small breakfast of ash bananas and boiled rice. She hadn’t slept at all, in part because she’d stayed in bed all day beforehand, but mostly because she’d been too preoccupied with biting her nails and staring wide-eyed at the ceiling to sleep. Was it the right choice? Would she come to regret today for the rest of her life? Would there ever be a payoff? Or justice? Would she ever know she’d done right by her people and the world or would she be doomed to this limbo of uncertainty till the end of her days?</p><p>Only time would tell, and it would spare her no mercy today. The ceremony had arrived.</p><p>“Your gown, Master,” Ichiko said from across the room, and Katara cringed at the moniker. She didn’t feel like anyone’s master, and especially not today—quite the opposite in fact. Today and for every day she could foresee, she was a slave to the Fire Nation’s whims. Still, she managed to thank her servant as she pushed herself out of bed and shrugged off her night shift so that she wore only her sarashi wraps, a cool breeze gracing her bare skin. </p><p>The two-piece gown which Ichiko held folded in her hands had just arrived, its final stitches sewn into place over the night. When Ichiko held up both parts for Katara to gawk at, Katara understood why the Master Seamstress had worked up until the very last minute; it was possibly the most intricate thing the waterbender had ever seen. Deep crimson in color, the silken fabric of the skirt flowed down like rivulets of blood from where a golden sash would cinch her waist. Gold-dipped thread piped the floor-length hem, and ornate embroideries reminiscent of narrow flames spiraled upwards from the base—almost like a funeral pyre. The sweetheart bodice was short, leaving room for an exposed midriff and it was flecked with shining jewels all over. It was a deeper shade of red than the skirt, nearly plum and complemented by tightly-woven gold lace which swept upwards from the top hem into an open-shouldered halter. Matching gold bangles on her biceps would anchor its lightweight, bell-shaped sleeves to her arms.</p><p>“All of this trouble...for me?” Katara whispered, staring open-mouthed at the gown. It wasn’t anything like what she’d pictured for herself in the few fleeting instances where she’d imagined her wedding when she was younger, and there was no sign of the Water Tribe in it anywhere, but it was beautiful all the same.</p><p>For a moment, Ichiko didn’t reply. Then it was with hesitation she said, “Would you allow me to be honest, Master?”</p><p>Katara’s gaze shifted to the servant, surprised. “Of course.”</p><p>Ichiko looked unenthused. “It is not a traditional wedding gown by any means. In fact, I think it is meant to provoke. Perhaps a common girl on a common day might wear such a thing, but a wedding gown fit for a future Fire Lady would never show so much skin.”</p><p>Katara paused, letting Ichiko’s words sink in. Meant to provoke? Were they trying to make a fool out of her? Slowly she asked, “Who chose the gown?”</p><p>“I am not certain, but the Fire Lord would have final say in it, of course,” Ichiko said, business-as-usual as she shook out the dress. Sweat beaded at the servant’s temples as she held it out for the waterbender to slip into, and Katara thought it was suddenly very warm in the room. </p><p>“Of course,” Katara parroted in a whisper, more to herself than to Ichiko. So Ozai wanted to humiliate her. Her or Zuko, she realized as an afterthought. Probably both of them together, if what she’d seen earlier had been any indication.</p><p>Mechanically, Katara raised her hands over her head so that Ichiko could pull the bodice down over her arms and torso. Her thoughts were elsewhere, taking her back to the War Room where three days prior she’d first gazed upon the Fire Lord’s hardened face, wreathed in shadows cast by the long flames which had danced between them. The waterbender had witnessed the cruelty of Ozai’s actions many times before, but it wasn’t until then that she’d experienced the cruelty of his words. He truly was more monster than man.</p><p>And whether he’d meant to or not, today he’d made his intentions for her known.</p><p>Katara really hadn’t given much thought to the idea of Zuko as the Crown Prince, and what that meant for <em> her </em> future—that if things ran their current course, Zuko would one day become Fire Lord, and she Fire Lady. She really didn’t like to think that far ahead. However, if what Ichiko was saying was true, Ozai had no intention of letting her become Fire Lady—or any intention of letting Zuko become Fire Lord. Why would he choose to disgrace his heir’s bride, and by proxy his heir?</p><p>Delicately, Ichiko unwound all of Katara’s sarashi wraps, save for those which bound her thighs and groin, and Katara shuddered. She winced internally as they soundlessly landed on the floor. One more part of home, cast out. There was no room for them in this gown.</p><p>After Ichiko buttoned the long column of buttons which ran along Katara’s upper spine, the waterbender stepped into the skirt and allowed her servant to tie the golden sash into a large and elegant bow at her lower back. “Thank you for helping me,” Katara murmured to Ichiko, her words laced with double-meaning.</p><p>Ichiko paused, disheveled curly bangs hanging in her face as her dark eyes flitted up to meet Katara’s. “It is my job, Master.”</p><p>“Mm,” Katara merely nodded in agreement. The rest of the dressing proceeded in silence. </p><p>Meanwhile, a standing full length mirror had been brought to her suite. Katara did not allow herself to look as two more servants who’d brought the mirror proceeded to unbraid and comb through her hair. They tied the top layer in a small topknot at the crown of her head, while allowing the rest to flow freely down her back. At some point they even painted her nails, along with her lips and eyelids. Katara had never experienced pampering like it in her life. Finally after what felt like forever but probably wasn’t actually very long, it was finished.</p><p>The waterbender didn’t want to look, but she forced herself to—and gasped at what she saw. She looked...unrecognizable. Gone was the plain chieftain’s daughter of the impoverished Southern Tribe, her innocence nowhere to be found. She had slipped into this gown, this design of Ozai’s like a glove. The skirt hugged her hips in a sinful embrace, the bodice giving her cleavage beneath the laced halter she didn’t realize she had. Her exposed stomach looked toned and muscular in the firelight, along with her upper arms and shoulders which were accented by elegant-looking collar bones. They’d painted her lips plum and shadowed her eyes to match. To top it all off, a small Fire crown now ornamented her topknot, a sheer golden veil cascading down on either side from where it was tucked into her hair to drape over her shoulders and down her back.</p><p>She looked <em> good </em>.</p><p>Despite what was coming, a tiny smile crooked the corner of Katara’s lips upwards. For the first time since arriving in the Fire Nation, she felt <em> powerful </em>. For the first time since arriving, she believed she could do this.</p><p>“Master, it is time,” Ichiko said. Then as something caught her eye she said, “Oh, I almost forgot.” The servant then stepped around to Katara’s back, her long fingers finding the clasp of her mother’s necklace.</p><p>“Don’t!” Katara shouted instinctively, hand flying to her throat.</p><p>“You must leave this behind, Master,” Ichiko instructed slowly, though her hands paused.</p><p>Katara’s gaze shifted to the mirror once more, and she hated how her eyes immediately stung with tears at the thought of removing her mother’s necklace. She swallowed the lump in her throat and lifted her chin, admiring the pendant and taking in the sight of it for one long moment before nodding to Ichiko that she could proceed. The servant removed the necklace, setting it aside and the transformation was complete.</p><p>Katara gave herself one last glance in the mirror before nodding to Ichiko and following her servant from the room—the moderate train of her skirt trailing behind her. As she followed the servants through the corridors to a less conspicuous exit from the palace, there was newfound purpose in her step.</p><p>Ozai wanted to make a whore out of her, she knew that much was true. He wanted to subjugate her, humiliate her, pry whatever sinister thing it was he wanted from her and then discard her. What he didn’t seem to realize—or perhaps he had forgotten—was that these sorts of transactions went two ways, and payment was long overdue. Now that he’d invited her into his home, she would collect. When he let his guard fall slack, when he was certain he was in control she would take what was due. It was a silly thing, but in that moment she remembered once overhearing a prostitute in the streets of Ba Sing Se.<em> Sometimes you have to roll with the pigs to get fed. </em> The waterbender’s fingers curled into fists at her sides.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Katara heard the slow beats of the taiko drums before she entered the courtyard. It was approaching midday, and the sun was nearly at its apex in the cloudless summer sky. Incense burned, filling her nostrils with scents of lavender and sandalwood. Before she saw the crowd their murmurs vibrated in her ears, even with the deep drum beats drowning out most noise. It sounded like the entire city had been packed into the palace courtyard. She soon saw that she was right. </p><p>Having taken a back way around the palace, Katara now stood on the opposite side of the courtyard as the palace. Before her a long narrow aisle stretched forward, blanketed by what looked like a rug at first glance but which she quickly realized was actually a vibrant carpet of red hibiscus flowers. As if on cue the drum beats suddenly stopped, and the courtyard fell silent, all attention falling to Katara where she stood at the top of the aisle. There was nobody she recognized in sight.</p><p><em> Set your intent </em>, she told herself, drawing on her meditative practices and inhaling a calming breath. She tilted her chin high, not any bit ashamed of the beautiful garment she wore. She was not any bit ashamed of herself either, even if the sea of people before her thought her a savage. She would bend them to her will as she did the ocean; they would pose no threat to her today. Then the drum beats began again, much slower this time, and Katara knew it was time for her to proceed.</p><p>Her steps were slow and deliberate as she started out over the hibiscus petals, not wanting to give any hint as to her discomfort. Sweat beaded at the nape of her neck, despite the cool breeze which caught in her billowing sleeves and veil. She could feel the weight of a thousand eyes on her as she strode towards the palace steps, the sound of a bamboo shaker drifting rhythmically over the crowd, but the attention didn’t phase her. After all, Katara had traveled with the Avatar—she was no stranger to attention. Her gaze was unfocused, unseeing, drowning everyone out.</p><p>Until it wasn’t. Halfway down the aisle, she noticed him.</p><p>Their gazes locked, as if they were both somehow surprised to see each other.</p><p>Zuko stood at the top of the palace steps, at the end of the hibiscus trail, and next to him stood a Fire Sage garbed in red robes. The Crown Prince was clad in formal armor, though Katara had not seen this rendition before. Instead of burgundy it was black, with accents of deep red instead of gold. His shoulder mantle was wide, curving up into vicious points on either side and his hair was neat, drawn back into a knot with his crown in place. His scar looked prominent in the glaring daylight, and even from where she stood many measures away Katara could see that his expression was set in a grimace.</p><p>She kept her shoulders back as she ascended the steps, the crowd murmuring at her back. The drums had quickened as she walked, now matching her racing heartbeat as she neared the Prince and Sage. Somehow, the Fire Lord and Fire Princess were nowhere to be seen. They were probably in the crowd somewhere, but she wasn’t going to look for them. <em> Tui and La </em>, Katara was thankful too that her own family was miles away. In that moment, her meditation left her. She simply wanted to get through this as quickly as possible.</p><p>“Welcome. Now is a time for greetings,” the Fire Sage spoke, loud enough for the crowd to hear as she reached the top stair. It wasn’t until then that Katara noticed the small altar between Zuko and the Sage, a bottle of what looked like rice wine and two cups resting on it. Incense burned in bowls on its either side.</p><p>“Hello,” she said to Zuko, uncertain though she was fairly sure her voice did not betray that fact. He nodded in return, looking as tense as ever.</p><p>“You may sit,” the Sage instructed, gesturing for them to each take a seat on the cushions beside the altar. “We will begin by giving praise to Agni.”</p><p>Katara gave a sidelong glance to Zuko as she took a seat, completely clueless as to what praising Agni entailed. Part of her was angry that nobody had thought to give her more preparation for the ceremony, especially seeing as she’d wasted an entire day in bed, but she supposed that was part of Ozai’s plan to make a fool of her. When Zuko bowed forward at the waist, forehead nearly touching the ground and hands outstretched, Katara followed suit.</p><p>Again, she stole a glance at the Fire Prince. His eyes were closed—clenched shut, really—and he muttered something under his breath. In front of him, his fingers looked to be pressed into the stone with great force. A vein bulged in his neck.</p><p>Katara mirrored him as best she could. She had no praise for Agni, but she thanked her own guiding spirits for her safety thus far, and asked them for the continued protection of both herself and those she loved. When she sensed Zuko shift beside her, she followed him in sitting upright again. He had turned to face her directly, sitting cross-legged with his hands on his knees and so she did the same, not looking at him when she could help it.</p><p>“Marriage is a most generous act of surrendering your freedoms for the needs and happiness of your partner,” the Fire Sage started, kneeling and pouring the two cups full. The scent of rice wine hit Katara’s nostrils. “Crown Prince Zuko, do you vow to surrender yourself fully to your partner?”</p><p>“I vow it,” Zuko said, hard and firm like he had rehearsed this many times. Still, his throat bobbed noticeably. An awkward moment passed, and Zuko frowned in Katara’s direction. Just as he did, the Fire Sage reached across the altar to place one of the cup’s in Katara’s hand, gesturing that she extend it to Zuko.</p><p>So she did. He leaned forward to sip the wine from the cup, keeping his molten gaze trained on her. She tilted the cup to his lips, a strange tingling sensation shooting through her limbs as he sipped it.</p><p>“Princess Katara of the Water Tribe, do you vow to surrender yourself fully as well?”</p><p>Zuko didn’t wait for her to respond, taking the other cup and lifting it towards her. She glanced down at it, then to the Fire Sage. “I vow it,” she said, then turned to tepidly drink from the cup in Zuko’s hand. He pointedly looked away as she did.</p><p>“Love is not just a feeling,” the Fire Sage continued, and Katara did not miss how the Crown Prince flinched ever-so-slightly. “It is a commitment to the prosperity of another. Crown Prince Zuko, do you vow to commit yourself to the wellbeing of your partner?”</p><p>Katara wondered if she looked as uncomfortable as he did. She doubted it.</p><p>“I vow it,” he said, voice lower this time. Katara lifted the cup to his lips once more and he drank from it, resentment brewing in his eyes.</p><p>“Princess Katara, do you vow to commit yourself to the wellbeing of your partner?” the Fire Sage asked in turn.</p><p>Katara stared, solemn and unblinking at Zuko. Oddly, he was looking at her as if he expected her to run away at any moment. Almost like he was daring her to do so. “I vow it,” she said after a long moment. Zuko’s eyes narrowed, but he extended the cup once more and Katara drank from it.</p><p>“Matrimony is much more than an agreement between individuals and their families. It is an agreement between the individuals and the state. Crown Prince Zuko, do you vow to honor the Fire Nation with this marriage, sharing with your country the fruits of your union?”</p><p>Zuko all but rolled his eyes. “Yes, I vow it,” he snapped—a glimmer of his bratty teenage self.</p><p>Katara then lifted the cup to his lips a third time, suddenly all too aware of how her hand had started to shake as he sipped. Zuko seemed to notice too, because he frowned at it then looked at her—more confused than angry.</p><p>“Princess Katara, do you also vow to honor the Fire Nation with this marriage, sharing with it the fruits of your union?” the Fire Sage said, tone turning more stern than ever.</p><p>Katara winced at both the title and the question. <em> Princess </em> was an even worse moniker than <em> Master </em>, and she wasn’t sure what this ‘fruits of the union’ business entailed but she didn’t like the sound of it at all. Swallowing she said, “I vow it.”</p><p>Zuko tilted the cup to her lips and she drank the rest of its contents.</p><p>“Rise,” the Fire Sage said, gesturing with his hands for them to stand. They did, and Katara became aware of the crowd again. For a moment, she had somehow managed to forget about them. “With the power granted to me by the Fire Lord and blessed by the spirit Agni, I declare this union official. Crown Prince Zuko, you may kiss your bride.”</p><p>Katara stared up into Zuko’s gaze, his expression unsettlingly blank. Her heart fluttered as he took a step closer and suddenly she could feel his body heat, along with the flush of her own cheeks. There were so many people watching and <em>spirits, was this real?</em> <em>Had she really gone and done this?</em> Silence hung between them as he coolly scanned her face, almost as if he was waiting for something. Then the moment passed, and he pushed her veil to the side with one hand, snaking the other around her waist as he drew her to him. Katara closed her eyes, breath catching. </p><p>He smelled of cedarwood and cinnamon, like he’d just taken a bath, and <em> spirits he was so close </em> . Strangely she reached out to him as he brought her lips to his—her palm moving to rest on his chest, but she caught herself before her hand could land and her fingers curled inward, then fell once more to her side. Despite the heat of his body, the kiss was cold, <em> icy </em>, his lips barely grazing hers before they vanished—like a polar wind back home, the gentle kind that warned a storm was coming. </p><p>Then just like that, it was over. Zuko’s hands dropped from her.</p><p>“Please welcome your new Fire Consort,” the Fire Sage bellowed to the crowd. </p><p>Dazed, Katara turned to glance at Zuko once more. His expression was that of a man who was a million miles away.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Here I am, updating in the dead of night once more <strike>not that it matters because we live in The Global Society of The Internet and we're all on different time zones anyway</strike>. Hope everyone is staying safe with the pandemic, and thank you SO MUCH as always to everyone who left comments on the last chapter. Really fucking awesome to see people engaged with the details of this story the way y'all are. I hope???? This was worth it?????? Big events, ballroom scenes, parties, ceremonies, all that are like, my weakness as a writer lmao. </p><p>*Frodo voice* It's over......it's done.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Katara was startled when Zuko grabbed her hand and interlaced his fingers with hers as they descended the palace stairs together. Still, there was no life to the gesture; his hand may as well have been a dead fish, and just as clammy. He didn’t look at her once—not that she expected him to—which left Katara’s attention to settle on the crowd. Her stomach twisted in knots. The mass of people, oddly quiet, gave nothing of what one would expect from a nation that had just welcomed a new monarch to its fold. A slow, hesitant sort of clapping began, but the pause they’d given lingered, screaming volumes. She didn’t have to be an energy bender to know there was no enthusiasm among their audience.</p><p>To make matters worse, her gaze then settled on the front row of the congregation, nearest the foot of the steps. Azula stood there, clad in midnight black armor, slowly clapping with her face twisted in a mink snake grin. Ty Lee and Mai stood to her right. The Fire Lord was notably absent. Katara’s eyes wandered across the aisle to the other side of the congregation to search for him, but he was nowhere to be found and his nonattendance birthed a shadow in her heart.</p><p>“Congratulations, Zu-Zu,” Azula offered, striding over to them as they reached the courtyard level. “You’ve found a bride who, how shall I say it...really draws the eye.” </p><p>Azula’s words stung, but Katara didn’t show it. Instead she clenched her teeth and looked elsewhere, doing her best to ignore the uncomfortable proximity of the Fire Princess. Mai and Ty Lee emerged to flank Azula’s either side, and the waterbender stonied when she accidentally locked eyes with the former. There was a particular gloom to Mai’s expression that made Katara almost as uncomfortable as Azula did. Without thinking about it, Katara let go of Zuko’s hand with haste—as though she’d picked up something hot. He didn’t seem to notice.</p><p>“Yes, father always knows what he’s doing,” Zuko parried. His voice was low and threatening, warning his sister to drop the matter.</p><p>Azula opened her mouth to say something more when the Fire Sage interrupted.</p><p>“This way,” he commanded with bright eyes, light on his feet as he danced around them, gesturing for them to follow him down the aisle towards the back of the courtyard. Zuko seemed keen to follow, taking Katara’s hand once more, and happy to escape Azula’s presence, Katara complied. </p><p>A rainbow of sparks exploded above them, originating from the palms of firebenders who capped each row on either side of the aisle. The aisle became a tunnel of hot bright light, ribbons of smoke dancing along its edges as little embers drifted down to dissolve above their heads. Katara never liked being so close to fire, and instinctively drew just the slightest bit closer to Zuko as if he weren’t himself a master firebender. Her cheeks grew hot, embarrassed, but again he was stony and didn’t seem to care.</p><p>The Fire Sage led them out of the courtyard, bringing them around to the eastern side of the palace grounds to a large open-spaced garden. It was larger and much more public-feeling than the quiet sanctuary with the turtleduck pond where Katara had encountered Mai. The trees were bigger here: cherry trees and weeping maples, as well as bonsais which were neatly trimmed and some sculpted into recognizable shapes—one particularly large and cut like a dragon. A crystal clear river flowed through the center of the garden, and on the other side of it a giant burgundy wedding tent had been erected. Low wooden tables sprawled out underneath it. </p><p>Katara hadn’t given any thought to a reception. The realization that it was only midday, and that she would now be locked into <em> celebrating </em> her matrimonial imprisonment with Fire Nation officials and courtesans hit her like a punch in the gut. She groaned, quite audibly.</p><p>“What?” Zuko said.</p><p>Katara jumped. He’d been so deliberate in his non-acknowledgement of her, she hadn’t expected him to pay her any attention. “I don’t want to do this,” she replied bluntly. There was no reason to pretend otherwise at this point. The marriage was done.</p><p>“Do what?” he parroted, his voice suddenly strained. He peered down at her over the mantle of his pointed armor.</p><p>“This,” Katara said, gesturing towards the tent with her free hand. </p><p>“Oh,” he answered, pausing. “Me neither.”</p><p>Frowning, Katara shot him a look as they crossed the river via an arched wooden bridge. His precious, noble complexion had always been fair, but now he looked particularly pale. Narrowing her eyes she asked, “What’s with you?”</p><p>He shot her a sidelong glance, one golden eye looking at her from his periphery. “You have to ask? I’m just trying to get through this and be done with it, same as you.”</p><p>“Right,” Katara said slowly, increasingly aware of the growing heat which seeped from his palm into hers. An awareness of her own body overcame her then—of how the dress revealed every curve of her hips, her exposed midriff, the paint on her lips. Anger flashed behind her eyes and before she could think better of it she asked, “Are you ashamed of me?”</p><p>Zuko’s head snapped towards her, his mouth falling open, something hateful in his expression—</p><p>“My most gracious tidings to the newlyweds,” a deep, gravelly voice cut between them. Katara sucked a sharp breath in through her teeth. Ozai stood beneath the awning of the tent, flanked by a royal guard. “What a becoming couple the two of you make.”</p><p>Katara sensed Zuko stiffen beside her, but he bowed his head to his father. The waterbender followed suit. Ozai let them linger like that for a moment too long before freeing them.</p><p>“Come now, please join me in celebrating. I have had a great feast prepared,” he elaborated, gesturing to the long, bisected banquet table in the center of the tent behind him. The two halves were stacked with plates, hot and cold dishes alike—enough to feed an army as far as Katara could tell. Smaller, lower tables fanned out from the large one in the center—each set with elegant place markings—and between the two halves, and slightly behind them was a throne and a dais. The throne was legless, its seat resting on the dais though Katara noted the carrying poles which made it mobile, and it was paired with a low private table of its own.</p><p>“You two must be starved,” Ozai continued as he led them to the table on the dais. He gestured for them to take a seat opposite each other on a pair of ornate red cushions which had been laid for them. Murmurs startled to fill the tent as those courtly enough to attend the reception trickled in behind them.</p><p>“Yes, we’re hungry,” Katara answered, desperate to kill the awkward silence that her newfound husband seemed determined to let hang in the air. Zuko released her hand as they sat, leaving Katara feeling oddly exposed.</p><p>She felt so even more when Ozai then gave her a quick lookover, lifting his haughty chin high. “Of course,” he said, taking a seat between them on the throne at the head of their small table. His long crimson robes—piped with the finest gold embroidery—billowed out around him, his crown glinting. “You’ll have to forgive me for missing the ceremony, I have had the most terrible and important matters to deal with this morning. One day you will understand, Prince Zuko—when you are Fire Lord.” The corners of Ozai’s mouth crooked upwards, a smirk which did not make it to his eyes.</p><p>“I hope to understand all matters of council and empire long before I become Fire Lord, so that I may be of greatest use to you while you reign, Father,” Zuko replied, and Katara noted how he seemed to square his shoulders and jaw as he spoke.</p><p>Reflexively, her lip curled back in disgust. <em> He really is a well-heeled dog these days. </em>She’d liked him better when he was the banished prince, she decided. At least then he’d had some fight in him. Then, noticing her own expression, she quickly turned her head into her shoulder and feigned a cough. </p><p>Ozai gestured for one of the servants—where they’d come from, Katara didn’t know—to pour them all a round of very expensive-looking rice wine. “Perhaps your new Consort will be a good place to start. She is quite exotic, after all,” the Fire Lord said, raising his cup to Katara.</p><p><em> Exotic? Fuck him </em>. Jaw flexing, Katara raised her cup in return. “True. Having traveled with the Avatar for so long, I’m sure there are many things I’ve done and seen that no soul in the Fire Nation could claim.”</p><p>Ozai held her gaze for a deadly second, before his angular features cracked into an outright wicked grin. “Of course, you will never find more delectable food. Servants! Fill our table to its fullest, bring the new couple some of everything, and when their plates are empty bring them more. We must feast all night,” he ordered.</p><p>Katara certainly hoped it wouldn’t last all night, but like that the servants descended on their table, laying out a colorful spread of dishes—some of which Katara recognized and some she had never seen. There were spicy Fire noodles and a rack of smoked sea slugs (she would actually get to try them this time!), roast duck, superspicy Komodo egg soufflé, sizzle-crisps drizzled in Fire sauce, hotcakes and clam chili. Figs, pink berries, purple berries and fruit tarts garnished with rose petals followed suit. There was wine, so much wine, and so many flavors of tea to choose from she didn’t know where to start.</p><p>The tables quickly filled around them, and soon there was a general buzz in the air as the tent filled with conversation. It was rather warm out, and Katara found herself feeling actually grateful for the airiness of her dress. She didn’t hesitate to dig into her food, somehow finding an appetite despite Ozai sitting at her left hand side. Zuko, however, seemed disinterested by it all—as he had all day. He hadn’t even begun to pick at his food. Rather, he just pushed it around on his plate with his chopsticks.</p><p>“Princess Katara,” the Fire Lord purred, sending a chill down the waterbender’s spine. She looked at him. “Well-traveled as you are, I would love it if you could share a story from one of your adventures. What is one of the most interesting things you have encountered, that you say no Fire Nation soul could claim?”</p><p>A knot of noodles slipped from Katara’s chopsticks. She bit down on her lip, uncomfortable under the pressure and newfound weight of Zuko’s gaze which fell on her, yet she tried her best to think. “Once, we encountered a spirit with the ability to steal people’s faces,” she said, off-top.</p><p>“Steal people’s faces?” Ozai said, frowning. “And why does a spirit need to steal faces?”</p><p>Katara shrugged. “Why does anyone steal anything?” She picked at her noodles, not looking at him. “Personal gain? Greed?” She paused. “Sadistic impulses?”</p><p>“I see. Perhaps the spirit could make better use of these faces than their owners could,” the Fire Lord replied.</p><p>Maybe it was the wine she’d just downed, but Katara felt bold. “Doubt it. He could never understand those faces the way their owners could.”</p><p>“Perhaps. Tell me another,” the Fire Lord ordered.</p><p>“A labyrinth,” she said without thinking—maybe because with this talk of the spirit world, her mind had now wandered to Aang.</p><p>“I have seen a labyrinth,” Ozai chuckled. Zuko still stared at her from across the table. Was that curiosity she saw in his eyes?</p><p>“This one was different. This one moved and changed, and there was no way out unless you trusted in love,” Katara explained.</p><p>“Interesting,” Ozai said, stroking his goatee. “And what would one do if they had no love to trust?”</p><p>Katara shrugged again. “I wouldn’t know. Die, I guess.” For whatever reason, her gaze slowly tracked from Ozai back to his son. Zuko’s brow furrowed, his eyes narrow as he looked deep into his cup of tea.</p><p>The waterbender suddenly wished she’d said nothing at all, realizing she was now wading in murky waters. Luckily, a loud throat clearing erupted from the next table over and all three of them glanced over to see Azula standing. She cradled a cup of rice wine in her palm.</p><p>“I would like to make a toast,” she said loudly over the mumblings of the congregation after everyone had settled. “To my big brother, who impressed me today with his commitment to honor and duty.” She looked around, the tent finally having fallen silent. “We all know his history, after all.”</p><p>There was a murmur of voices. <em> Big brother </em>, Katara thought. It was hard to think of hot-headed, selfish Zuko as an older sibling or anything close to a role model, but she supposed he was. Or had been, at some point; somewhere along the way, Azula seemed to have gone rogue. Then again, it wasn’t like Katara considered Sokka a role model, and their age difference was the same as Zuko and Azula’s. On second thought, maybe she did think of Sokka that way—because once again she wilted at the thought of what he would think if he could see her right now: married to the Future Fire Lord, and making court with a legion of the world’s greatest enemies.</p><p>“Cheers to you, brother.” Azula gestured to Zuko with her cup. “For rising from the ashes, as they say. Our Nation will not soon forget how you killed the Avatar, returning to us more powerful and mighty than ever. Though like a phoenix, there are those who say you’ll flame out again eventually. Let’s hope many suns pass before then,” she said with a smirk as she tossed her wine back.</p><p>Katara stilled, resisting the urge to glance at Zuko. Regardless, she felt the quick flash of heat that radiated out across the table from his direction. When she thought about it, it was honestly kind of puzzling that his sister still upset him so much. Did he seriously expect anything else from the Fire Princess? Maybe he did. Katara quirked her mouth, shoving the thought away. Their relationship was not something she cared to unpack.</p><p>“I want to make a toast, too!” Ty Lee’s voice chimed in like a bell. She sprung to her feet. Mai remained seated at their table, expression hard as she sipped a cup of tea.</p><p>“Sit down, idiot,” Azula snapped, pointing to Ty Lee’s empty cushion. “It’s not your place.”</p><p>“But Zuko’s like my brother too! We’re all one big Fire Nation family here, and I just want to say how happy it makes me to have a new sister,” Ty Lee beamed. Grabbing a cup of rice wine from her table, she toasted Katara whose eyes bulged. “And the best part about siblings is you get to fight with them,” she added, and then she did one of the most absurd things Katara had ever seen: she flung the cup above her head, leaping into the air to catch its contents in her mouth as she back-flipped to land in a front split on the ground. The cup landed in her palm which she’d outstretched in front of her, and her fingers curled around it in a fist—then joined by her other. She made a quick punching motion in Katara’s direction.</p><p>The waterbender swallowed hard. She had not forgotten the time Ty Lee had taken away her bending, and how naked it’d left her afterwards even if it had been temporary. It was one of her more disturbing memories.</p><p>“Thank you, Ty Lee,” Azula said down her nose as the two of them resumed their seats at their table. Mai remained silent between them. Katara managed a nod and half-baked smile in Ty Lee’s direction.</p><p>The day dragged on like that, with a series of other stuffy nobles and officials making their toasts—more out of obligation, Katara noted, than any real sense of good will. As far as weddings went, it was boring. There was no dancing. She was grateful because she wasn’t much of a dancer herself and didn’t care to put on a show for the Fire Nation, but even her small tribe in the South Pole knew how to throw a better party than this. Some hours later, the sun began to set.</p><p>“I will take my leave now, then,” Ozai said, taking a stand. His royal guard of six firebenders in death masks flocked to his side from where they’d stood in the periphery.</p><p>Across from Katara, Zuko stiffened and replied, “Yes, Fire Lord.” Her new husband didn’t look particularly happy, what with his face all twisted in a scowl—which was a stark contrast to the relief that crashed over Katara. Still, a thick silence passed over the congregation as the Fire Lord made his exit from the tent.</p><p>“Well that was—” Katara started.</p><p>“We’re leaving too,” Zuko said rancorously as he reached across the table to snatch her hand. “Come on,” he added when Katara apparently took too long to let him drag her to her feet.</p><p>“You could just ask nicely,” she snapped, whipping her hand out of his grasp and shooting him a glare. Zuko returned it, shooting daggers with his gaze at the hand she’d withdrawn before turning on his heel, indicating Katara should follow. Quickly they made their way between the tables, several guards falling into place alongside them as well. “You’re doing a pretty piss poor job of making your people think this marriage is something to celebrate,” Katara hissed when she’d caught up to him. She had to think it looked bad for them to leave the reception in such a manner.</p><p>“Right now I really couldn’t give a shit, Katara,” the Fire prince shot back, her name acidic on his tongue. His strides were long as he left the tent, striding out over the wooden bridge that would lead them back towards the palace.</p><p>Katara yanked on his sash strings, imploring him to stop. When he rounded on her incredulously she said, “What is <em> with </em> you?!” </p><p>“Did I ruin your good time? We can go back in there if you like,” he said in that terribly condescending tone of his.</p><p>“Obviously neither of us wanted any part of this marriage, but both of us agreed to it for one reason or another so you should own up to that at the very least. You didn’t have to be in this situation, you know. You had a choice.” Katara crossed her arms, scowling up at him.</p><p>Zuko’s golden eyes were furious, his mouth drawn tight. “Oh, did I? Suddenly we’re married and you know me now?” </p><p>Katara recoiled, her jaw falling slack. “How can you be so callous? You’re not the only one who’s made sacrifices. You’re not the only one who’s been hollowed out by this stupid fucking war!” she shouted, beating a clenched fist against his chest only for lack of her waterbending. </p><p>He caught her wrist in his hand, tucking it against her side as he’d done once before. One of their guards made a throat-clearing noise. “Let’s go,” he seethed, deadly quiet.</p><p>The rest of the walk was incredibly awkward. Even more awkward when a procession of servants led them to some wing of the palace Katara had never seen. They’d been led to some sort of marriage suite, judging by the elaborate double doors.</p><p>“Please, let us know if we can be of any assistance. We will be right outside,” one of the servants offered as the doors were parted for them. “Our greatest congratulations to you, Prince Zuko, and a most genuine welcome to you, Princess Katara.”</p><p>Of course, Katara felt much more like a prisoner than a princess as she stepped inside the suite—as she had since the day she’d arrived. In Fire Nation fashion it was a gilded prison, with wooden walls of deep cherry hues and support pillars that careened towards vaulted ceilings. There was an enormous bed against the far wall in the center of the room—disturbingly covered in flower petals—as well as a sitting area complete with two sofas and a fireplace. Unlike her own room it was open air, the suite giving way to a great terrace across the way to her left which from the looks of it overlooked a garden. There was an unopened bottle of rice wine on one of the terrace tables. Bright moonlight danced through the sheer burgundy curtains which separated their suite from the open night air.</p><p>It was gorgeous. A mirthless laugh escaped Katara’s lips.</p><p>“What?” Zuko said, deliberate from behind her.</p><p>Katara shook her head slowly. “Nothing. You wouldn’t understand.”</p><p>“Tell me,” her new husband replied stiffly, as if he had any right to her thoughts—especially after how closed off he’d been all day.</p><p>She wasn’t like him though. She wasn’t callous or closed off or selfish like he was, so she decided to share. “It’s just all of this,” she said, gesturing to the expanse of the suite and its ornate furnishings and the beautiful terrace outside, all without looking at him. “The Fire Nation has so much. Even before the war you were wealthy, and yet you all want more. How can this not be enough?”</p><p>“The Fire Nation’s intention isn’t to take from our territories. We want to share this wealth with them,” Zuko replied quietly. “Eventually you’ll to understand.”</p><p>Katara refused to look at him. Much to her displeasure, tears brimmed the edges of her eyes. “I think you and I have different definitions of the word <em> wealth </em> ,” she grit out, her voice a hoarse whisper. She stared into the brightness of the full moon through the sheen of the curtains. <em> Tui and La help her, if this was how her marriage was going to be. </em>Oh if only Yue could speak to her now, and tell her whether or not she’d made a terrible mistake. It certainly felt like it.</p><p>“I think you need more perspective in order to fully understand the word ‘wealth’,” Zuko offered from somewhere over her shoulder.</p><p>Katara whipped around, blood thrumming through her veins—a dam breaking, from everything she’d withheld through the day—as she strode towards him. “You have no perspective. You sold out the entire world for your <em> honor </em> ! Where’s your honor now, <em> Prince Zuko </em> ?” she hissed, fists clenching at her sides. It was a struggle not to drag the entire garden pond from its recess in the ground and funnel it into Zuko’s face then and there. He could use a strong douse of cold water. “You came running home with your tail between your legs like a deer dog, <em> begging </em> for forgiveness the way I hear it, and your father still married you off to some savage whore girl from the Southern Water Tribe,” she spat, breath ragged, inches from his face. “He doesn’t care about you. He didn’t even attend the ceremony.” Katara’s tongue curled around every syllable. She could sense the inferno building in her partner, but she pressed on. “So don’t you dare talk to <em> me </em> about perspective until you get some of your own.” She stared at him and a long moment passed.</p><p>Eventually he said, “Spit it out, Katara. Clearly you have more you want to say.”</p><p>The waterbender’s nostrils flared, ignoring how her name sounded like a weapon on his tongue. “Was there anybody home during all of that today?” She waved her hand in front of his face to emphasize her point. “Were you even listening to how they were treating you? Do you ever?”</p><p>Zuko’s golden eyes were molten with rage, several strands of his hair having fallen out of his perfectly-combed top knot to hang in his face. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. “That’s what this is about? The ceremony?”</p><p>Katara groaned through her teeth, and she was hardly able to refrain from rolling her eyes. “Of course it’s not about the ceremony, did you hear anything I said? This marriage, the Fire Nation, what your people think of me—none of it means anything to me, Zuko. What matters is the fact that <em> you </em> are content to serve as a war dog for a man who has no respect for you. Your actions have consequences. And you know what, yeah, for the record I fucking hated the ceremony.”</p><p>The Fire Prince drew a sharp breath through his nose, his expression growing wild. “Maybe you’ve gotten a big head because you’re my Consort now, but you don’t know anything about my family or our traditions.” His jaw flexed when he closed his mouth.</p><p>Katara’s lips curled back into a snarl. Slowly, with intention to hurt she said, “Ozai is never going to allow you to become Fire Lord—and from what I’ve seen, that’s a good thing.”</p><p>The Fire Prince had started to shake. “You're not in a position to use my father's name so casually, waterbender. He’s the Fire Lord to you,” Zuko instructed, the words a struggle. He appeared barely contained.</p><p>Katara spit on the ground at Zuko’s feet. <em>That's how much the Fire Lord means to me</em>, she thought.</p><p>As if on instinct Zuko snapped backwards into a bending posture, leaning into his left knee while his right leg straightened, but Katara was quicker. Before he could call on his fire, she reached for the first water source she could find—and was shocked when Zuko’s body was snapped out of his bending form to instead straighten and then hang forward, limp like a rag doll. His arms dangled at his sides, like drying pieces of meat. His chin lolled to the side, his eyes rolling to show their whites.</p><p>She gaped down at her hands, then back at his incapacitated form. She could <em> feel his pulse </em>, the rhythm of his bloodstream beneath her fingertips. His very life force moved within her grasp. She knew then that if she just asked, his body would move to her will. Horrified, Katara withdrew her grip and Zuko collapsed to the ground, coughing and gasping for air. Red flecks of blood spattered the wooden floor in front of him. His eyes were wide as saucers when he looked up at her from where he lay splayed-limbed and heaving; there was fear in his expression that she’d never seen before. </p><p>Katara’s own blood ran cold. What had she done?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey everybody! Sorry you had to wait three weeks for this update instead of like, one. As you all know it's a hell world outside rn and that can make it hard to Do Things. Hopefully the long chapter made up for it and my writing isn't suffering the way my mental health is. </p><p>Just two points I want to make:</p><p>1) Some people were asking me if the marriage will be consummated. So, I'm not someone who likes to reveal plot details through comment questions but I will just say that yes this fic is rated explicit for sexual content.<br/>2) Never worry about me abandoning a fic. Even if I haven't updated in like 2 years (as is the case with some of my fics) I view all of them as projects that I want to ultimately complete so if it's been a while since I've updated just know I've never "given up" and am probably just taking a break or really busy. </p><p>Anyway hope you all enjoyed and thank you so much as always for all of your beautiful comments, you all really make my day.</p>
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<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next morning, Katara sat on the terrace staring out over the garden below. In the daylight she confirmed it was the same peaceful little place she’d found a few days prior. The turtle ducks were there, swimming in gentle circles near some reeds, meanwhile a nearby stork eyed some fish beneath the water’s surface from its vantage point along the bank. A cup of green tea had gone cold at her side.</p><p>It was a quiet morning, leaving plenty of space for ruminations on the night before to loop in Katara’s brain. Her palms lay facing upwards on her crossed thighs where she sat in the sunlight, like two weights holding her in place. She didn’t trust herself to leave the suite. Not after what’d happened. On the other hand, she was somewhat surprised that a royal guard of firebenders hadn’t arrived by now to drag her from the palace and throw her in some tower. Surely what she’d done was grounds for annulment of the marriage. In the broad light of day, it seemed even more grim.</p><p>Her insides twisted to think of it, but she could still feel the slip and slide of Zuko’s blood beneath her grasp, pliant and defenseless against her will. <em> Bloodbending </em>. Neither of them had said the word aloud, but they’d both known. </p><p>Before last night, Katara had never given thought to the ancient, forbidden art—if you could call it an art. Somewhere in her nineteen years she’d heard a story or two in passing, legends of old passed down more with the intention of scaring young ones into sleeping or obeying their parents’ commands than any need to preserve cultural knowledge. She’d certainly never studied it, never practiced it. So how had this happened to her?</p><p>She didn’t think she would ever forget that look on Zuko’s face. It was more than that of an enemy who’d been bested, of one who’d suffered a wound in battle. She’d seen the Fire Prince fight before, spirits she’d fought him herself—and he could really take a punch, so to speak. No, it’d been more than that. He’d been terrified. <em> Traumatized </em>.</p><p>In retrospect, not much time could have passed before he’d picked himself up off the floor, straightening his tunic and armor, using the back of his hand to wipe away the trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth—but it’d felt like forever. She’d stood rooted to the floor while he’d eyed her up and down warily, as one watches a wild animal.</p><p>“What...was that?” he’d managed hoarsely. To his credit, he hadn’t seemed particularly <em> angry </em>, for once, but that’d chilled the waterbender even more.</p><p>Katara hadn’t had an answer. “I—I’m sorry. I don’t...I didn’t mean…I’m so sorry,” she’d whispered, tears brimming her eyes from sorrow, from shame, from anger with herself.</p><p>She’d gaped down at her palms, her body no longer feeling like a safe place. Oh, how she’d wished she could just run into her father’s arms; or see Aang, or Toph, or Sokka, or anyone who wouldn’t look at her the way Zuko had looked at her then. For once, the distance between them had felt terrible. Like for once, she was the aggressor.</p><p>Katara glanced down at the cold tea by her side and dejectedly lifted it to her lips. It was hot outside, and a nasty sort of humid, but Katara didn’t budge from where she sat. Zuko had been gone for hours now. Left at first light, she supposed. Eager to make his escape.</p><p>Although, shaken as he’d been after the<em> incident </em>, she hadn’t sensed a flight instinct from him. He’d just lingered there for a long moment, still as the moonlight streaming in from the terrace while flames danced in their braziers behind him. </p><p>“It’s been a long day,” he’d finally said, looking away from her. He’d pointed to the bed. “You should sleep.”</p><p>Katara’s heart had jumped, the reality of where and when they were crashing back into her. “Do they not...do they not expect us to…?” she’d drifted off, gesturing with a nod towards the doors to the suite and where their attendants waited beyond.</p><p>Zuko had visibly stiffened, having crossed the room to stand by the hearth. “Who cares what they want,” he’d said in a low voice, removing his shoulder mantle and leaning it against the wall. He’d shot her a dark glance. “They’ll be upset no matter what I do. There should be sleepwear for you in that wardrobe,” he’d added, pointing to one of the furnishings.</p><p><em> Stupid. Why did you even bring that up? </em> she’d berated herself. She should consider herself lucky.</p><p>Cheeks hot, Katara had followed his suggestion and pulled a silk robe from the wardrobe’s drawers, pink as cherry blossoms. She’d been just about to cross to the bathchamber to attempt to remove her cumbersome dressings, when the little flecks of blood shining on the wood floor had caught her eye again. It was macabre, but a thought hit her.</p><p>“Here’s an idea,” she’d said aloud, ignoring the wary look in Zuko’s golden eyes. Before allowing herself to make second guesses, she’d reached out towards the blood with her bending, fingertips splaying in the air. She’d felt the Fire Prince’s gaze on her as she’d whittled the specks from the floorboards, but he’d said nothing as she’d re-directed them through the air to settle into the fibers of the bedsheets—on the opposite side of the bed from where she’d intended to sleep, of course. “Now they won’t ask questions.”</p><p>Stripped down to his crimson tunic, Zuko’s upper lip had curled, but he didn’t protest. “If that works for you,” was all he’d said, pulling his hair from his topknot to hang about his face.</p><p>His nonchalance had unsettled her. Was he distant because he truly didn’t care either way what the Fire imperials thought about their marriage, or because he knew it would now be annulled without question? Katara had swallowed a lump in her throat and went to get changed.</p><p>The dress had been tedious to get off without Ichiko’s help, but she’d managed, slipping into the silken robes and climbing into bed. For a long while she’d laid there, stiff as a corpse and staring out through the open-air terrace door, as though if she stared hard enough Tui and La might whisk her away to a better place. Somewhere behind her, the fire had crackled in the hearth, its heat blazing at her back even from all the way across the room. The thought had occurred to her then that it was unlikely she was still in good standing with the spirits, after what she’d just done. They were good, gracious and generous beings. It was hard to think bloodbending could be perceived by beings like them as anything other than wretched.</p><p>Katara had sighed, tucking her knees into herself beneath the sheets. <em> Bloodbending </em> , the word had echoed in her head again. Even the mere feel of it on her tongue was blood <em> curdling </em>.</p><p>She’d held her hands up to her face, tepidly examining them once more. How could such a dichotomy exist within her? Master Jeong Jeong had made it sound like she was some gifted force for good when she’d discovered her healing abilities, mending her palms where Aang had accidentally burned her. Now she’d discovered those same hands were simultaneously capable of the most vulgar, appalling form of bending in existence? How could that be? What dark spirits would bring such a thing into the world, and what did they want with <em> her </em>?</p><p>Zuko had coughed then, breaking Katara from her moody reverie. She’d rolled over to her other side, observing from the shadows of her canopied bed where he lay sprawled out on the floor before the hearth. Two more coughs caused his shoulders to flinch. Katara had nearly flinched as well, shame washing over her.</p><p>“Zuko…,” she’d started, sitting up in bed.</p><p>“Yes?” he’d answered, disinterested.</p><p>“Are you in pain?” Katara had asked. Her pink robe pooled around her atop the bedsheets.</p><p>Zuko had shifted, rolling over onto his back and propping himself up on his elbows to look at her. “What?” he frowned.</p><p>Katara had huffed, annoyed he was making her spell it out for him. “What I did...are you still in pain from it?”</p><p>She’d seen the surprise that danced across his features, before he’d subdued them back into a frown. “Oh. No. I’m fine.”</p><p>Of course he would say that either way. Why had she bothered asking?</p><p>“Do you mind if I take a look?” she’d asked, more out of formality than permission as she’d pushed herself out of bed and crossed the room to him. It’d stung when he’d shifted back on his elbows and away from her, as if cautious of letting her get too close, but she ignored the motion, coming to kneel on the floorboards next to him.</p><p>“What do you mean?” he’d said defensively, eyeing the palm she outstretched towards him.</p><p>“You know what I mean. I just want to make sure you’re alright. You weren’t coughing before,” Katara had replied, overtly aware of the annoyance she didn’t bother keeping out of her voice. She’d gestured with one hand, indicating he should come closer.</p><p>He’d eyed her for a long moment, his golden stare watchful, feline before he sat up straight and crossed his legs underneath himself. Even sitting like this he was a good bit taller than her. “Fine,” he’d said, clenching his jaw.</p><p>Katara had given him a long, reproachful look as if to scold him for not complying, before saying, “Do you mind?” She pointed at the drawstrings of his tunic, indicating he should open it. </p><p>His frown had deepened, and he’d scowled down at her the whole time but he’d done as she’d said, untying the drawstrings of his midnight tunic to bare his chest. Katara had murmured a thank you, before closing her eyes and placing her right palm on his sternum. His breath had hitched when her hand met his hot skin, causing her stomach to somersault, but she’d tried not to think anything of it and focused on her abilities instead.</p><p>She’d been afraid to attune herself to his body once more, after what had just happened, but she’d kept her breath steady and reached into that healing part of her that was much more comforting and familiar. It was with this sight that she’d searched his form, tracing his insides with her bending to check that everything was as it should be. When she’d finally allowed her senses to skim their way along his blood vessels, her heart sank.</p><p>The damage had been minimal, but it was there: many of his blood vessels were swollen and inflamed, even somewhat misshapen—like wax candles that had been picked up when hot, disfigured and set back into place wrong. She’d lifted her other palm to his chest, again ignoring the sigh that’d escaped his lips as she began to pour herself into him, calling on the water within him to mend the trauma she’d wrought.</p><p>“There,” she’d said after a long, quiet moment, when she was satisfied her work was done. Slowly, she’d opened her eyes to meet his, the fire crackling beside them.</p><p>“What did you do?” Zuko then asked her, skeptically, casting a sidelong glance to where her palms still rested on his chest.</p><p>Cheeks turning hot, Katara jerked her hands away from him—only for him to catch one of them in his own. She swallowed. “All I did was patch up the damage done from my...my...you’re not going to cough like that anymore,” she spat out.</p><p>“Thank you,” he’d replied, his mouth forming awkwardly around the words. To Katara’s surprise, he still hadn’t let go of her hand. “Not just for this. I mean for today. I know it wasn’t easy for you. I know my family isn’t the easiest to be around,” he’d added, looking away from her to frown at the floorboards. With that, he’d released her hand. Her fingers had flexed.</p><p>Sitting across from him, Katara had then studied his face, her eyes drifting over the marred skin beneath where his dark hair hung in his eyes. <em> No, they’re not </em>, she’d thought to herself. For a moment, sitting in the dim firelight and moonglow it was almost like they were back in that cave, back before Ba Sing Se had fallen and Zuko had betrayed them all—and for once, she wasn’t angry about it.</p><p>“You’re not so bad, you know,” she’d whispered without thinking. His gaze had snapped up to hers. “When you let yourself be yourself.”</p><p>His features had twisted, and for a moment her heart had sunk at the notion that she’d pissed him off again—until she saw the corner of his lips crook upwards. “You’re not so bad either, waterbender. When you’re not bending me around like a ragdoll,” he added and Katara had felt the blood drain from her face.</p><p>“Shut up. I’m going to bed,” she’d snapped, pushing herself off the floor and putting distance between them—her emotions a mix of embarrassment, shame and the apprehension of allowing her guard to fall in front of him. She’d done that and been burned before. Still, the muffled sound that’d escaped him then was almost a laugh. </p><p>As Katara had settled into bed, she’d been unable to keep from peeking over the edge of her mattress, tracing the lines and ridges of the Fire Prince’s back and shoulders with her eyes as he’d drifted off into sleep, sprawled out over the floor once more. Sometimes, he really didn’t seem so dangerous after all.</p><p>Katara exhaled, throwing back the rest of her now-cold tea in the afternoon sunlight. The heat was suddenly sweltering.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A little bit of sweetness, eh? Sorry the updates have been a little less frequent, I've had a lot going on but I hope you enjoyed! As always, I love your comments and they really make my day and make writing this all the more fulfilling. :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Aang?” Toph said, doubting her feet for quite possibly the first time in her life.</p><p>There was a sudden movement which sent ripples through the stairwell—the intruder jerking around to face her. Toph held her breath, listening intently to every vibration, not daring to move. Ba Sing Se was quiet, and for the first time in forever the earthbender noticed how the city lacked its evening hum which had died along with the Earth Kingdom. </p><p>“It’s...it’s me,” a voice stammered. <em> Aang? </em>Toph tilted her head to the side. His voice had changed. It was deeper now, though to her surprise it still held a familiar softness. In the old days, she might have made some crude joke about puberty or him finally learning something about growing up. Things were different now.</p><p>“It really is you,” Toph whispered, starting to believe her senses as her old friend’s familiar vibrations rippled into her.</p><p>“It’s me,” Aang repeated. A long pause, then, “I missed you, Toph.”</p><p>“Where?” Toph managed, clearing her throat, hardly believing her own words. “Where have you <em> been </em>, Aang?” Her jaw was heavy, remaining open.</p><p>She felt his heart skip a beat, just as he said, “Let me help you with that.” Before she could protest, he was crouched at her feet, picking up pieces of the shattered teapot.</p><p>He was using his hands, not his bending. He wasn’t bending. Oh Spirits, <em> why wasn’t he bending? </em></p><p>“Stop!” Toph commanded, grabbing hold of the clay teapot shards with her mind and flinging them against the wall of her apartment so hard they were instantly crushed into dust. “Where have you <em> been?! </em>” she repeated, breath quickening.</p><p>“Shhh,” Aang said, placing one hand on her either shoulder. “We shouldn’t cause a scene.”</p><p>Toph violently shrugged his hands away. Anger smarted behind her eyes. “You think it’s that easy, Twinkle Toes?” she said in a harsh whisper. “You think you can just disappear without a word for five years and show up on my doorstep like <em> this </em> ?! Huh?!” Toph hated the tears that welled in her eyes. He didn’t deserve to see her cry. “We all assumed you were DEAD!” she spat. Jabbing a pointed finger into his chest she added, “Dead! We thought you were <em> dead </em>, do you even know what that means?! Huh? DO YOU?!”</p><p>Toph couldn’t help it; the dam broke, and suddenly her cheeks were wet with tears. Strong arms wrapped around her as Aang pulled her to him—he’d grown a lot, too—and Toph’s nose was filled with the rank and unmistakable scent of body odor, like he hadn’t bathed in ages. “<em> Please </em> Toph, can we do this inside? We can’t let them find me,” Aang practically begged.</p><p>“Fine,” Toph said coldly, pushing him away and simultaneously wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. She fished the key to her Upper Tier flat out of her pocket, unlocked her door and pushed it open. “Get inside then,” she sputtered. Aang wasted no time obeying her. </p><p>Angry as she was, she knew he was right. It would serve no one if Fire Nation soldiers discovered him right now. “Alright,” she said with crossed arms when the door was firmly locked behind them. “I’m listening.”</p><p>“Just like that? We’re not going to...have a cup of tea...or something?” Aang trailed off.</p><p>Toph’s jaw twitched. His fucking audacity. It appeared some things hadn’t changed. “I’m not going to pour you a cup of fucking tea until you give me at least three Spirits-forsaken reasons why I shouldn’t throw you back out on my doorstep and leave you to fend for yourself, kind of like what you did to us!” she snapped.</p><p>Toph relished in how she felt him physically cower. “Alright, alright,” Aang said, wearily taking a seat against the far wall of her flat. “But you can get down off that high ostrich horse because you don’t know what I’ve been through either,” he said hotly.</p><p>Toph raised a brow, staring him down with unseeing eyes. She’d struck a nerve. “Like I said, I’m waiting.” Her response was low and curt—a warning that her patience was thin.</p><p>Aang slumped forward, rubbing the back of his head. “Where do I even start?”</p><p>“Maybe the part where you disappeared,” Toph replied coolly, her words pointed.</p><p>“I remember we had made camp, when I woke up after K-Katara...after Katara healed me,” Aang managed, then quickly added, “Where is Katara? Is she safe? Have you heard from her?”</p><p>Toph grit her teeth together once more, leaning back against the door with crossed arms. “You’d better slow your roll. She’s fine, we’ll get to that. Keep it moving.”</p><p>“Fine, okay. I remember making camp after Katara healed me. After Azula and Zuko attacked. Everyone was there, and I...I couldn’t bend.” Aang drew a deep breath.</p><p>“I remember,” Toph replied, a chill creeping down her spine.</p><p>“I tried for days. I meditated. I prayed to the Spirits. I even—”</p><p>“Threw yourself off a cliff, only to have your sorry ass saved from being pulpified into soup by Katara at the last second? Yes, I remember. Keep talking.” Arms crossed, the earthbender rapped her fingertips against her opposite forearm.</p><p>“Nothing worked. So I left,” Aang said quietly.</p><p>It was like Toph had been punched in the gut all over again. She remembered that morning so viscerally, and tears once again stung her eyes. “Do you have any idea what that was like, Aang? Waking up to you and Appa gone, vanished into thin air like the rest of the Air Nomads? I’ll tell you: it was abso-fucking-lutely <em> awful </em> . Katara didn’t stop crying for a <em> week </em> , and that was the <em> least </em> of our concerns! Do you know what your little vanishing act <em> did </em> to the world? Do you know what this place has <em> become </em> ?” Toph gestured wildly with her arms, her whole tiny body beginning to shake. She stalked towards him, each step landing heavy. “It’s the <em> Fire Nation’s </em>world now, Aang. The Avatar is dead!” she hissed.</p><p>Aang flinched, which satisfied her. “I know. I wish I could have been here—”</p><p>Toph crouched down in front of him and slammed her fist on the ground. “YOU COULD HAVE!”</p><p>Aang startled, his breath catching. Something like a growl escaped the back of his throat and Toph stiffened, ready to put him down at any moment if she needed to. “I couldn’t,” he repeated.</p><p>“And why not, Twinkle Toes? Why did you get to run away while the rest of us were trapped here like fish in a barrel, waiting to be plucked off by the Fire Nation? I’m going to ask you this one last time: Where in the name of all the Spirits in the fucking sky have you been?” Toph said through clenched teeth. </p><p>“Everywhere!” Aang shouted, reaching up to fist his hands in his long, shaggy hair which Toph hadn’t realized was there until then. “Bleeding hog monkeys I’ve been everywhere, Toph! EVERYWHERE! To the top of every mountain, the edge of every sea, and you know what I found out about my bending? NOTHING. It’s gone! That’s it! It died when I did and it’s never coming back! And now I’m starting to think maybe I should have stayed dead too!” he exclaimed, the words tearing from his throat.</p><p>Toph swallowed hard, recoiling from his admission. <em> Spirits, this was bad. </em>It was as she’d feared: Aang was no longer a bender. The Avatar was gone. Suddenly the earthbender stood and crossed to the kitchenette where she put some water on the stove to boil. She was going to need a cup of Uncle Iroh’s strongest if she was going to get through tonight.</p><p>For a long moment Toph didn’t respond, though she could feel Aang’s heart fluttering in his chest. When the water started to boil she turned back to him. Quietly, trying to subdue her anger because she knew it would not serve her here she said, “You should have come back sooner.”</p><p>“How could I? I owed it to you guys to try and fix this. To fix <em> me </em>,” he replied, voice strained.</p><p>Toph groaned. “Please, Aang. Get over yourself. The rest of us have,” she added cruelly as she crossed back to him with the teapot and two cups. “No one has time for your pity parties anymore.” It was mean, but true.</p><p>“I’m just telling it like it is,” he grumbled as he took a cup and allowed her to pour him some tea. “I’m worthless without my bending. What use am I to anyone? And if the Fire Nation finds out the Avatar is gone for good, who knows what they’ll do!” </p><p>Although he had a point, Toph couldn’t help but let loose a mirthless laugh. “You’ve been gone for five years; might as well be gone for good. Every day since you disappeared it’s felt like all of our spirits and gods have either abandoned us or died. Do you know what people do when gods die? Because I’ve learned.”</p><p>Aang shook his head and shrugged as Toph took a seat next to him and poured herself a cup of tea in turn.</p><p>“They keep living and take matters into their own hands, because that’s the only thing they can do. Just because the Avatar is gone doesn’t mean the rest of us are. I really can’t believe you, Twinkle Toes. Seriously disappointing,” Toph muttered, bringing her tea to her lips and blowing on its surface. Side by side they leaned against the wall of Toph’s apartment, their backs resting under the sill of a large window.</p><p>“It’s not just that, you know. Part of it was, well, Katara,” Aang started again.</p><p>Toph’s head fell back against the wall. Why did he have to choose today, of all days to show up? She had a very strong feeling that he wasn’t going to like what she had to tell him.</p><p>“Guru Pathik told me I had to let go of my worldly attachments to access the Avatar state. I thought that maybe if I could put as much distance between me and Katara as possible, and actually let her go this time, the Avatar state would return to me. But it didn’t,” he murmured, sounding suddenly far away.</p><p>“So why did you come back?” Toph sighed.</p><p>“Because nothing I’ve tried has worked, and I just miss her too much, Toph. No matter how much distance I put between us, I could never let go of Katara. Not in my wildest dreams. So I realized, I have to find another way to reach the Avatar state. Y’know?” Toph felt him shift his weight as if to look at her. “It’s kinda stupid, but sometimes I wonder if this whole thing is like finding our way out of that labyrinth. Everything seems dark, and impossible, but if I can just trust in love I’ll find my way.”</p><p>The earthbender tensed. In the name of Oma’s bastard children, he’d really picked the perfect time to return. Sighing again she said, “I don’t know, Aang. I don’t know if you’ll be able to find a way to return to the Avatar state. Who can say? You’re right about one thing though: the Fire Nation absolutely cannot, under any circumstances find out that you’re alive. It’s best that they believe the cycle has continued and a new Avatar is out there ready to challenge them. You feel me?”</p><p>“I feel you. Besides, we all know how fun it was having Zuko on my tail. The last thing I need is Prince Fire Breath rekindling his obsession with me,” Aang added, a poor attempt at a joke. It didn’t land.</p><p>“Yeaaaah, about that...I don’t think you have to worry too much about Zuko. He’s pretty busy from what I’ve heard,” Toph said carefully, knowing she was treading into dangerous waters.</p><p>“Really?” There was disbelief in Aang’s voice. Sipping his tea he asked, “So they finally gave him some royal princely duties or what?”</p><p>Toph couldn’t help but snort. There was some morbid humor to it all. “Yeah, I guess you could say that. Getting married is technically a princely duty, isn’t it?”</p><p>Aang spat out his tea. “He <em> what </em> ? Zuko’s getting <em> married </em>? Who in their right mind would marry that flying bison shit-eating dunderhead?”</p><p>Toph swallowed, uncertain of how to proceed. “It’s uh, surprising to say the least.”</p><p>Wiping the tea splatter from his cheeks, Aang said, “Some jerkbending Fire noble I guess?”</p><p>Toph shook her head and drew her feet in towards her hips to butterfly her legs. She started to massage the soreness in the balls of her feet, desperate to focus on anything else. “No.”</p><p>“So who?”</p><p>Toph winced. “I really wish I had better news for you, friend. All I can say is that you picked a really bad day to come back.”</p><p>The earthbender felt the muscles in Aang’s whole body freeze. “Who is it, Toph? Who is he marrying?” A panicked edge appeared in his voice.</p><p>Toph cleared her throat. “From what I understand it’s a political alliance. Sort of a peace deal between the Water Tribes and the Fire Nation…”</p><p>Aang drew a sharp breath. “<em> No </em>,” he whispered, clutching his teacup. “I know you’re not talking about Katara. You can’t be. Please tell me you’re not.”</p><p>Toph bit her bottom lip and shook her head again slowly in defeat. Her bangs danced across her cheeks.</p><p>“No!” Aang exclaimed, and with a start he jumped to his feet and smashed his teacup on the floor. “No, no, no, no, no, no, NO! We have to <em> stop </em> this, Toph! How could you let this happen?! We can’t let this <em> happen </em> ! She’s our <em> friend </em>, Toph, there’s no way we can let her marry that—”</p><p>“I <em> know </em>!” Toph exclaimed in reply, having also sprung to her feet. She took a defensive bending stance, half expecting the Avatar to be summoned back into the world right there in her flat from the way Aang was shaking. “You think I’m happy about it? Of course I’m not. But the wedding is tomorrow and there’s no way we’d get there in time.”</p><p>“We have to do something,” Aang said, deadly firm as he stormed towards the door. Toph quickly called two ropes of earth from her potted plants to her hands, wrapping them like chains around Aang’s ankles and stopping him in his tracks. He face-planted, caught off guard. Still he flailed, trying to kick his legs free from the binds.</p><p>“Like what? Waltz into Capital City with your non-bending and beg the Fire Nation to change their minds? Did you listen to anything we just talked about, blockhead?!” Toph gestured with her hands to tighten the shackles.</p><p>“Spirits, let me go! I can’t let this happen to her!” Aang gasped, kicking and flailing, which only led Toph to call forth two more soil ropes from her plants to bind his wrists.</p><p>“No,” she replied firmly.</p><p>“But Katara...she needs us,” he ground out, desperately trying to reach for the door from where he now lay spread-eagled on the floor.</p><p>Toph circled around Aang’s splayed body to crouch down just over his head. “If you leave this flat you’re putting all of us in danger. Do you get that, buddy? I won’t stand for it. It’s a different world now, and we’ve all had to make sacrifices while you were MIA. Katara’s a big girl now. She can handle herself.” </p><p>Aang slumped to the floor, the tension in his body going slack. “But it’s Katara,” he said into the floorboards. “She doesn’t deserve this.”</p><p>“I know,” Toph said, reaching down to pat the top of his head. “Sometimes bad things happen to good people and that’s just that. We just have to hope she can make the most of it.”</p><p>“Make the most out of marrying Zuko,” Aang groaned, muffled. “How? Spirits, I never even got to tell her...to tell her…,” he trailed off, and Toph sensed his lower lip quivering like he was trying to choke back a sob. She could practically feel the lump in his throat.</p><p>She continued to pat his head in a weirdly stiff yet comforting gesture. “I know, Twinkle Toes. I know. More tea?” she offered. Aang shook his head. Sensing that his body had relaxed and he was no longer going to make a run for it, Toph released her grip on him. “Alright. Well, I’ve gotta hit the hay. It’s been a long one. You’ll find a bedroll and some pillows in the closet...and remember, if I sense so much as a step from you in the direction of that door, you’ll never set foot outside of this apartment again,” she threatened, though it soon seemed unnecessary.</p><p>All of the energy had left him, and as Toph crawled into her own bed across the room, sinking into her soft mattress, she felt nothing but pity for him. They were the same age and yet he seemed just a kid to her now, lonely and humiliated and suffering his first real heartbreak. Poor thing. </p><p>He tried to keep quiet, he really did, but there was no hiding from the earthbender how his body shook with sobs all night long.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello! I am back after over a month away! My SO and I were finally reunited after being separated due to COVID for nearly seven months, so I hope you will all forgive me for attempting to ~* enjoy life *~ for a little while! Anyway this chapter was a nice change of scenery for me after the last three, I hope you all liked it as well. Some nice schadenfreude for you sadistic Aang haters.</p><p>Aaaaand thank you once again for all the comments you've been leaving me in my absence! They are chef's kiss, so fun to read. Keep leaving them. ಠ_ಠ</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The morning after the wedding was humid, and mist danced over the garden pond outside. Zuko had woken at dawn per usual, vanishing from the suite like a wisp of smoke without a word to his new wife. He was careful not to wake the waterbender, and deliberately ignored the strange looks their guards shot him as he departed, sure they were waiting to set rumors ablaze. Still in his tunic from the night before but leaving his armor behind, a small sigh of relief escaped the prince as the suite doors locked into place behind him.</p><p>In the palace few stirred, with none but a handful of servants hurrying through the morning halls. The rest were sleeping off the late night, Zuko figured. He too felt strange in his body as he stalked down the corridors, whose shadows began to evaporate as pink light filtered in between the wooden columns. A different sort of shadow lingered over him, weaving its way beneath his skin and spreading apprehension to the tips of his fingertips and toes.</p><p>
  <em> What did she do to me? </em>
</p><p>He’d never seen anything like it. That didn’t mean he didn’t know what it was. <em> Bloodbending. </em> An ancient, evil art, long thought lost to time. Where had she learned it? Had all waterbenders been trained that way, right under their noses? The Fire Nation was in no way equipped to handle bloodbenders, and if what’d happened in the north was any indication they were undoubtedly planning rebellion. What had he uncovered?</p><p>Nausea churned Zuko’s gut at the memory of it, so fresh in his mind: how she’d snatched his bodily will away with ease, his limbs helpless to her bidding like that of a puppet on a string. He hadn’t been rendered so useless, so humiliated since...since...unconsciously, Zuko touched a hand to his cheek. Still, there was something deeper that confounded him even more: where was his anger?</p><p>“Bloodbending would certainly count as grounds for annulment,” he muttered aloud under his breath, along with a bitter scoff.</p><p><em> But I don’t want annulment </em>.</p><p>Zuko scowled. Such an idiotic, embarrassing little thought—where had it come from? Annulment was certainly something to be considered. He’d laid awake by the fire last night turning the thought over and over in his mind. Sure, Ozai claimed to have greater plans for the marriage, and theoretically it <em> did </em> make sense, but at this point it was all starting to feel like one big joke at his expense.</p><p>If the marriage was annulled, Zuko would be free to do as he pleased—sort of. He could marry Mai instead. That would be politically advantageous too, wouldn’t it? She came from wealth and power that would doubtless prove useful to his father. Besides, Azula had become the clear favorite in the years since his return to the Fire Nation. What was he even needed for, <em> really </em>? Nothing, apparently.</p><p>Maybe it would even please the Fire Lord and gain him some standing if he ousted his bride. It would further prove his loyalty to the Fire Nation, and exposing the master waterbender as a bloodbender would give the Fire Nation grounds for stricter action and restraints against the Water Tribes. The rebellion could be crushed before it gained any more ground.</p><p>Zuko shook his head and grit his teeth together. Turning the waterbender over to Ozai would be a relinquishment of the only power he had in this situation. If there was anything he’d learned in observing the expansion of their empire over the last five years, it was that information was power, more than anything, and he was sure he had plenty more to learn from his little wife. <em> And she was kind to you </em>. The Fire prince could practically hear Uncle Iroh’s voice in his head. His hands curled into fists as he approached the palace archive, and he flung the door to the chamber open with great force. </p><p>“Was she though?” Zuko called out to the empty room, his voice resounding over the towering shelves of scrolls and echoing off the high ceiling. He made his way to the appropriate section where most of the texts on waterbending were kept and began to dig through the scrolls with haste. <em> Kindness, what a concept. </em> </p><p>Zuko wasn’t sure he’d ever really experienced kindness. His father had never been anything but cruel. To Ozai, kindness was nothing but a weakness and he’d probably said as much verbatim. Azula didn’t even seem capable of human emotion, let alone <em> kindness </em> . Maybe his mother had been kind at times, but did it really matter when she’d left them all in the end? Zuko didn’t think so. Then there was Mai. Mai was tough on him, like <em> really </em> tough sometimes, but in a way he supposed that did seem like its own form of kindness. Still, he got the sense more often than he liked to admit that he was nothing but a pawn in her quest for self-preservation.</p><p>And then there was Katara. His pretty waterbending wife who’d drawn his blood with the snap of her fingers and then cried about it afterwards. Really, she’d seemed just as surprised as he had. <em> Are you in pain? </em> He’d nearly jumped out of his skin when she’d asked him that, all sad-voiced and acting like it was an accident, and like she actually cared. Probably all part of her holier-than-thou shtick. Maybe <em> she </em> was where the Avatar had learned it. Well, at least she was consistent. Still, he couldn’t shake the thought of her healing him, staring up at him with those big blue eyes like some sort of turtle seal caught in a net.</p><p>Zuko nearly knocked over a lantern as he splayed several scrolls out on the desk before him. “Agni, why is everything so fucking difficult?!” he cried.</p><p>
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</p><p>It was many hours and a few hundred scrolls later when Zuko finally left the archive. At some point he even missed dinner. After combing through texts all day he hadn’t found much; just a few tattered centuries-old rolls of parchment referencing rumors of its use. Annoyingly, none of them were even sourced from the Water Tribes. <em> An ancient dark art, </em> he’d read. <em> The highest, most elusive form of waterbending. </em>Beyond healing arts, even. He’d always known Katara to be strong, but she was apparently more talented than he’d given her credit for.</p><p>He needed to find out whether she’d been formally trained, or if she was truly as novice to the technique as she’d appeared to be last night. And he wasn’t going to tell his father shit. He’d interrogate her himself. There was a briskness in the prince’s step as he strode down the palace halls, making his way to their shared suite—only to find her personal guards missing from the entry when he arrived.</p><p>“Where is Katara?” he blurted rather rudely to Ichiko when he found the suite otherwise empty.</p><p>“Crown Prince,” the servant bowed, surprise tinging her tone. “Master Katara has gone into the city.”</p><p>“Alone?” Zuko demanded.</p><p>“Her attendants are with her, of course, and they insisted on a royal guard although Master Katara didn’t like that. I am uncertain as to whether or not they were accompanied,” Ichiko replied levelly.</p><p>“She is a member of the Fire Nation’s royal family now. She should have a royal guard with her any time she’s off palace grounds,” Zuko grit out. His hypocrisy didn’t escape him, especially not as he was moments away from donning his blue mask and quickly following suit.</p><p>“Chise and Chizuru said as much, as did I,” Ichiko said curtly in a way that ground Zuko’s gears.</p><p>“Well you’re no help,” To his disdain, something like worry was actually taking hold in his chest.</p><p>“She may have threatened or bribed them, Sir.”</p><p>Zuko threw his hands up in incredulity. “Well do you have any idea where they went? They need to be accounted for, immediately.”</p><p>Ichiko finished smoothing the bed linens she’d been fiddling with and looked at Zuko blankly. “Master Katara did complain about being hungry, and wanting to avoid the ‘aggravating company at dinner’.”</p><p>The Fire prince groaned.</p><p>“Perhaps Tako—” Ichiko started.</p><p>“Yeah, Takodori, I know,” Zuko snapped back as he whirled from the room. That was the first place he’d look.</p><p>
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</p><p>In no time at all Zuko had slipped into his ink-colored tunic and slid the blue spirit mask over his face. He barreled across the palace grounds like a night wind off the sea, making straight for Takodori—Capital City’s food street and the heart of its nightlife district. The prince didn’t bother checking with the palace guard to see if the waterbender had been accompanied by a formal entourage, knowing that doing so would only stir up more trouble than it was worth.</p><p>Katara could handle herself no doubt—she was apparently a fucking <em> bloodbender </em> afterall—but he also knew there were plenty of scum on the capital’s streets who’d jump at the chance to pick their bones with his new wife. Besides, she was crafty and had a habit of getting up to no good. He didn’t trust her, especially not after what he’d seen last night. The more he could keep her in his sight, the less opportunity she’d have to fuck him over.</p><p>He didn’t see them anywhere. Then again it was evening on Takodori, and the lantern-lit street was bustling. Being so high up didn’t help, either. His rooftop vantage point was great unless you were trying to pick out individual faces in a crowded street.</p><p>“Agni,” he muttered. He couldn’t go down there; he’d stand out like a sore thumb. Not to mention there were <em> wanted </em> posters with the Blue Spirit’s face plastered on every other wall.</p><p>Zuko resigned himself to slinking along the rooftops, crouched low and peering over gutters as he scanned the crowd. The sky was cloudy, adding an extra blanket of darkness over the city and the sea. Scents of barbecued meats roasting on skewers and flaming fire cakes wafted up from the street, causing Zuko’s stomach to remind him that he’d skipped dinner with a very angry <em> growl </em> . He ignored it, pressing on in his search and driven by an unfamiliar sense of urgency. Almost like finding Katara was <em> important </em>.</p><p><em> Almost </em> . Nothing had been important to him in a long time. Maybe with this marriage and all, he’d been knocked so low and scorned so much by his father that he’d finally had enough. If he could keep this Katara situation under control, he could prevent the Fire Lord from making an even greater fool of him—in whatever ways remained to be seen. That would be good, he guessed. <em> Probably won’t change anything </em>, he thought bitterly.</p><p>The prince flitted in and out of open windows, sneaking onto rafter beams of pubs and inns and along the sides of buildings in search of the waterbender. This was off to a great start if she was already so successfully evading him. For all he knew she could already be building up a mutinous network of waterbenders and their sympathizers right here in Capital City. Whatever she was up to, he knew he’d take the hit for it if the Fire Lord found out—whatever it was.</p><p>Zuko had just hopped up from one beam onto another rooftop when a commotion caught his eye. There was a crowd gathering towards the mouth of the street, down near the docks. Nimbly, Zuko weaved his way forward between the buildings and rooftops until he was perched on a ledge beneath an overhang for a better view. </p><p>Glints of armor caught his eye, and the prince’s gaze snagged on a group of six firebending royal guards at the center of the onlookers—two who had to be Katara’s personal guard, and four more who’d been brought along for additional security. His chest relaxed—only to tighten again when his attention landed on the waterbender herself. She stood in front of a street cart, obviously the cause of the gathering. Royals never mingled with cityfolk. She was so ridiculous.</p><p>At least she seemed unharmed. And lacking a company of murderous bloodbenders.</p><p>“Idiot,” he groaned from across the street, crouched on his ledge as he watched her exchange coin with the vendor—coin from one of her guards’ pockets no doubt—and then slowly raise a chocolate-covered ash banana to her lips.</p><p>His gaze raked downward over form. To his surprise, although he didn’t know <em> why </em> he was surprised considering it was the only appropriate choice, she was garbed in the Fire Nation’s colors. It was almost like he’d expected her to drop the act now that the ceremony was complete, but there she was in formal robes, with a decorative shoulder mantle and high collar fit for a princess. She even had half her hair tied into a bun, held in place by a hairpiece which matched the one that often felt so heavy on his head. She looked...good, he had to admit, but there was something off-putting about seeing her in this setting without her usual blues.</p><p>Zuko’s attention flickered back to the waterbender’s face, where her lips slowly parted to wrap around the ash banana. Her eyelids fluttered shut in a look of bliss, and even from far away he could see how her long eyelashes dusted her cheeks. Spirits, it was so easy to imagine those lips— </p><p>The prince’s face immediately grew hot behind his mask, and something curled in his lower abdomen until his already-tight pants felt suddenly tighter. Flustered, Zuko shot to his feet, slipping around to the side of the building and away from the crowd. If he hadn’t been wearing the mask he might’ve slapped himself in the face. <em> What the fuck are you doing </em> ? he inwardly cursed, leaning back against the building wall. She <em> was </em> technically his wife now, but it wasn’t like...like <em> that </em> . They would never be like that. He didn’t <em> want </em> that, not with <em> her </em>at least.</p><p>Mai had called things off, ever since the engagement became public news. It made sense, but he resented it. He missed spending time with her. Now here he was, lucky to be alone in the dark on this ledge so nobody could see him behaving like a teenage boy. Obviously it’d been too long since he’d taken care of himself. </p><p>“Pull yourself together,” he scolded, gripping onto a gutter above his head with both hands and swinging himself up onto the roof. Still, he crawled up the slanted edge to steal another look at his impudent wife. The Fire Lord could never find out about this.</p><p>Well, at least one of them was having fun. Katara looked the happiest he’d seen her since all of this began, laughing and joking with the street vendors like she was one of them. Something sparked in Zuko’s veins. Was this how she’d been with the Avatar and their little gang? Was this how she was whenever <em> he </em> wasn’t around? The prince scowled, sinking down to sulk with his belly against the roof, head resting on crossed arms.</p><p>Just then something, or someone, took hold of his ankles with an iron grip and flipped him onto his back. Zuko’s head knocked into the roof’s ridge, just as he gasped for the breath that’d been knocked from him. He’d never heard a sound. Something heavy landed on either side of him—two knees?—pinning his arms, as a dark figure came between him and the night sky. He struggled, but it was no use against the giant weight on top of him.</p><p>“There you are, you little rat. We’ve been waiting,” a gravelly voice said.</p><p>Then a fist collided with Zuko’s face and he was out cold.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi everybody! I'm back after a little break. Hope everyone's still with me. Well, I tried my best to keep everything consistent after being away from this fic for a bit but I'm sorry if there are any incongruencies between details I may have forgotten. Your comments make me smile every time, so thank you to everyone who has taken the time to review this story. I've got the writing bug again so hoping to bring you all more soon. Cheers!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Zuko woke, he thought he was looking into a mirror. The Blue Spirit mask stared back at him, statuesque in the otherwise dark room. Everything was silent. Then it moved. </p><p>Horror dawned on Zuko, and he became suddenly very aware of how the cool draft moving through the space grazed his cheeks. <em> Someone was wearing his mask </em>. He was someone’s prisoner. Spirits, they’d dragged him from the roof!</p><p>“Who are you?” Zuko growled as soon as he came to, his head already throbbing from where he’d been struck. It was dark, but if he had to guess he’d bet his eye was swollen too. It hurt something terrible, but he supposed he’d had worse.</p><p>For a moment the mask simply grinned back at him, inches from his face. Then in an unfamiliar and masculine voice its wearer said, “You’ve looked better, Prince Zuko. Imagine my lack of surprise when I discovered it really was you hiding under here.” The figure gestured to the mask. “We’ve been watching you for months. Should’ve known that only someone with formal training, the kind that goes on in royal palaces could get away with the shit you’ve been pulling. Not to mention only a spoiled shit would dare to try it,” he replied, disgust apparent in his voice.</p><p>Zuko struggled to move, finding that his wrists were bound with chains behind his back, as were his ankles. Defeated and unable to bend his way out, he slackened. “Get to the point. Is this about money? You can have it.”</p><p>They were in an attic somewhere. He sat on wooden floorboards, and a chilly draft crept in through cracks in the slanted roof. Voices drifted upwards from somewhere down below. Zuko didn’t know how long he’d been out, but at least the night hadn’t fully passed yet—though judging by the drop in temperature and the hum in his body, he’d guess dawn wasn’t too far away.</p><p>“It <em> was </em> about the money,” his captor replied, and Zuko barely managed to not recoil at the rotten stench of his breath. “But you’ve given us something much more valuable.”</p><p>“Oh yeah?” Zuko replied through gritted teeth. Pressure pounded behind his eyes.</p><p>“Intel,” the man purred through the mask.</p><p>A chill danced down the back of Zuko’s neck as his captor said the word. Subtly as he could, he strained once more against the chains binding his wrists together. They were strong; too strong to break that was certain. If he was going to escape, he’d have to use his wit. </p><p>But they’d already seen his face. He was admittedly in a bad spot.</p><p>“What do you want?” Zuko implored again, voice turning deadly.</p><p>“Well originally we were just going to nab you and turn you in to the Fire Lord. Pretty price on your head as I’m sure you know. Could do a lot with that chunk of change, would fix a lot of problems. But knowing what we know now, I don’t see how that’s the best return on this little investment. See, now we’ve got leverage,” the man answered, drawing a knife from a sheath on his hip and twirling it between his fingers.</p><p>“Just get to the fucking point!” Zuko spat. </p><p>The man stood, delivering him a swift kick to the ribs. The prince cried out in pain, doubling over and rolling onto his side as he gasped for air that’d been knocked from him. “You’re even brattier than you look, which is really saying something, princeling,” his captor muttered.</p><p>“You’re dumber than you look, thinking you’ll get away with any of this,” Zuko wheezed. The comment earned him another kick, this time in the back. He bit down hard on his tongue with the motion, and his mouth filled with the taste of copper. His fire breath would be useful right about now, he knew, but he also knew that using it might land him in an even worse spot than he already was. He didn’t know how many were downstairs, or what weapons they had.</p><p>“Shut up,” the man said, squatting down and taking the prince’s chin between his fingers. “Seems like you haven’t learned your lesson about playing with fire. So here’s the deal: we’re gonna let you go and you’re gonna be happy about it. You’re gonna run back to your little throne with your tail between your legs, and then you can expect some letters. These letters are gonna tell you exactly what to do, and how to do it, and we’re gonna have ourselves a little bargain. You do everything we say, and we don’t tell your daddy who’s behind the Blue Spirit. Deal?”</p><p>“Seems like an awfully big fuck around. Why don’t you just tell me what you want and we can cut the crap?” Zuko scathed. If Azula or anyone ever found out about this, he might as well find himself a fucking iceberg to crawl into and disappear for a hundred years.</p><p>To his surprise, a rancorous laugh escaped the man. “What do I want? What do we, your people, <em> want </em>?” The man stiffened and his voice dropped. “You have the audacity to ask that shit?” Then he dealt Zuko another powerful kick in the side, and this time the prince heard something crack. He hardly had time to wince, however, because the man, dropping his knife, grabbed Zuko by his hair and dragged him up so his back was against the wall—before back-handing the prince across the face. “Fuck you. Fuck all of you,” the man added, just as he spat in Zuko’s face.</p><p>Zuko’s eyelids fluttered shut. He didn’t bother trying to wipe the spit away, knowing it’d probably provoke the man further. Instead he exhaled as it dripped down his cheek, letting his head rest against the wall. “Well sorry I asked. Why don’t you just let me go then, so I can stop wasting your time?” he muttered, slowly catching his breath. </p><p>“There’s one more thing,” the man said, looming over him. “You try anything to get out of our little arrangement, I mean <em> anything </em>...and we find out about it? The waterbending girl will be the one paying for it.”</p><p>Zuko stilled, newfound anger igniting deep within his core. He did his best to keep it contained. “That all you got?” he replied coolly.</p><p>“Oh, please. When we first saw you sneaking around after her, we figured you were trying to take her out—knowing how the Blue Spirit operates and all. Figured you some kind of patriot trying to do your country a favor. Think we all know the truth now though, huh?” the man leaned down into Zuko’s face. “You actually like the Southie bitch.”</p><p>Zuko’s eyes narrowed, his lips curling as he glared into the Blue Spirit mask whose grin seemed larger than ever. “You don’t know anything about me. So why don’t you do yourself a favor and shut the fuck up?”</p><p>The man laughed. “Sure thing. Maybe you’re right, but there’s one thing I do know for sure,” he said, cagey as ever.</p><p>The prince rolled his eyes, ignoring how they ached and throbbed. “Agni, enough with the theatrics. Just tell me for spirits’ sake if you want me to know so bad.”</p><p>“Of course, Your Highness,” the man replied, his sneer apparent in his voice. “I’ll just say me and my buddies have been tracking the Blue Spirit for months, ya know? Waiting for the right opportunity and all to nab you. Was expecting a real match up, but catching you was easy as trapping rabbaroos. Musta been real off your guard.”</p><p>Zuko opened his mouth to protest, but the man cut him off.</p><p>“Anyway, it’s been nice chatting. Here’s the key,” his captor added, pulling a small silver key from his pocket and dangling it in front of Zuko’s face. “I’ll leave the mask downstairs. You can see yourself out.”</p><p>Once more Zuko strained against his chains, not caring if the man noticed. They couldn’t just leave him like this! This couldn’t be the end of it. He’d barely gotten a word in. He had <em> no </em> idea who they were!</p><p>As if he’d read the prince’s mind, his captor paused at the top of the stairwell. “By the way, don’t bother coming back here. You’re not gonna find anyone.” Then he was gone.</p><p>A frustrated sound tore from Zuko’s throat, and with chained ankles he kicked at the floorboards in front of him—which caused him to wince at the resultant pain that shot up his side. He’d been bested. It wasn’t entirely unexpected, he was reluctant to admit. With as much of a name as he’d made for himself in the city, he’d known in the back of his mind it’d been bound to happen someday. It just wasn’t supposed to happen like <em> this </em> . He wasn’t supposed to get his entire <em> shit </em> handed to him in the process.</p><p>“Fucking assholes,” he muttered under his breath as he scooted along the floor to make a reach for the key—wrists still chained behind his back. After several attempts his fingers brushed cool metal, and then he got to work trying to fit it into the lock.<br/><br/><br/><br/></p><p> </p><p>It didn’t take the prince long to break free, but any sign of his captors was gone when he did and by the time he made it back to the palace dawn was well on its way. Yellow light glowed along the horizon, and birds had begun to make their presence once again known to the world. Still, all was mostly quiet as he gingerly scaled his way up the palace walls and roofing to his room, slipping in through its open window like a shadow running from morning.</p><p>The prince crossed to his chest of drawers and returned his mask to its place, kicking the drawer shut in frustration and then crying out in pain once more. Cradling his ribs and allowing himself to finally acknowledge his injuries, he moved slowly to his vanity mirror and gave himself a reluctant look-over. His unscarred eye was swollen as he’d expected, and a purple bruise had begun to bloom across its socket. The other side of his face was tender too, but any damage was masked by his scar. For now. Carefully he peeled off his midnight garments, noting how the skin of his right side was red and sensitive to the touch. He took inventory of a few other bruises that hadn’t been there before, as well as a rawness around his wrists—not to mention his head ached something awful.</p><p>“Damn,” he muttered under his breath. They’d really done him in. Breathing slowly and through clenched teeth, Zuko dressed himself in a more princely crimson tunic—though he avoided tying his hair back, not wanting to put any more strain on his ribs.</p><p>He just wanted to see Katara. Zuko was too tired, too fed up to think about it as he moved quietly out of his personal chambers towards their shared suite. He didn’t give a shit about what his blackmailer <em> thought </em> he’d noticed, or what anyone else thought about the waterbender for that matter. Or how he’d felt some inescapable pull towards her as he’d followed her into the city, wanting to make sure she was safe. It was the same pull he felt now, that put an urgency in his step as he moved past her personal guards into the room. The prince chose not to acknowledge the apparent surprise on the firebenders’ faces when he arrived, like it was weird for him to visit with his own damn wife. Though admittedly, he was glad to see them and see that everything seemed as it should have.</p><p>Still, relief washed over Zuko when he saw her, tucked into the giant bed with her head resting gently on a pillow. She was <em> safe </em>. They hadn’t laid a finger on her, or tried to for that matter—surely her guards would have mentioned it.</p><p>Blue eyes fluttered open beneath heavy lashes as he took a step towards her. “Zuko?” Katara said.</p><p>A lump formed in Zuko’s throat. “I just—I just wanted to make sure you were alright,” he stammered, unable to offer anything but the truth. His gaze shifted away towards the fireplace as the words left his mouth.</p><p>From the corner of his eye, he saw Katara frown. “I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” she asked, sitting up with her blanket clutched to her and revealing that she wore only her sarashi wraps.</p><p>Zuko swallowed and looked back at her. “Well I heard you went into the city. Nobody tried to hurt you, right?”</p><p>Katara raised an eyebrow. “You <em> do </em> know I’m a master waterbender, right?”</p><p>“Was anybody mean to you? See anything suspicious?” Zuko continued. </p><p>“What is this about?” Katara replied, crossing her arms. “Do you think someone <em> might </em>have tried to hurt me? I’ve told you, I'm not stupid. I can tell when something’s going on.”</p><p>The prince made a frustrated noise as his hands curled into fists. She was right. She wasn’t stupid, and she deserved to know more. The problem was, there was no way he could tell her without revealing his biggest kept secret. “Nothing’s going on,” he said, lying through his teeth. Dammit, he was such an ass. “I just know how the commonfolk can be. Especially after the ceremony and everything. I’m glad you’re okay, Katara,” he said with a point, wanting to end it there. The prince moved cautiously with the intention of taking a seat on the rug near the fire, trying not to reveal the burning pain in his ribs.</p><p>“You know, your commonfolk can actually be pretty great. I spent the whole even—wait, what happened to your face?” she demanded, stopping him before he could manage.</p><p>“It’s nothing. Bad training day. You know how Azula is,” he muttered.</p><p>“You let her do that to you? Come here,” Katara said.</p><p>Zuko turned and glared at her. Agni, he really didn’t need this right now. Sunlight had started to trickle in through the open terrace doors and he wanted nothing more than to sleep.</p><p>“You heard me,” she said again, this time with a real hint of anger in her voice. </p><p>Reluctantly he crossed to her, avoiding her scrutinizing eyes the entire way. He loomed above her as she swiveled to sit on the edge of the bed, and he fixed his gaze very pointedly on the wall beyond her head. Spirits, was she put on this planet to humiliate him?</p><p>“Zuko, you’re all beat up,” she said, staring up at him. “I’d say Azula should be more careful, but that feels like wasted breath.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Zuko murmured, faraway. His thoughts drifted back to his blackmailers, and their promise of violence should he try to worm his way out of their ‘agreement’. Katara should have never come here. Everything would be so much easier, she would be <em> safer </em>— </p><p>Zuko jerked as warm fingertips brushed his scarred cheek, and on instinct he snatched Katara’s hand away just as she gasped. “Please don’t,” he whispered, finally shifting his gaze to hers. Her blue eyes swallowed him.</p><p>“You’re hurt, Zuko. Like actually hurt,” she replied, brow furrowing.</p><p>“It’s fine. Not my first Phoenix Flight,” he said more softly than intended. There was something so calming, so serene about her eyes. Really was like standing on the edge of a dock and staring down into ocean waves.</p><p>Her face cracked into a grin. “Phoenix Flight? Don’t know that one.”</p><p>Zuko’s cheeks flushed. “Sorry. Just a stupid old saying. It’s a dance,” he replied. Why had he said it anyway? It was a dumb expression.</p><p>“Oh. We have those too. Like, ‘You’re in the polar bear doghouse tonight!’” she said, emitting a small laugh through her nose. </p><p>She really was pretty, he had to admit—especially when she was carefree like this, or like she’d been in the marketplace when nobody was paying attention. When she was happy. She was pretty when she was sad too—he was just more used to her being like that, he guessed.</p><p>He hated to think of all the happiness he’d taken from her.</p><p>Zuko didn’t laugh, too paralyzed by all of the emotions eating at him, but a half-smile did ghost across his lips. Then he realized several moments too late that he was still gripping the waterbender’s hand, and a new icy horror gripped him as he dropped it. “Sorry,” he murmured again.</p><p>“It’s fine,” she replied, with an odd breathiness to her voice that sent shivers up his spine. </p><p>Zuko cleared his throat. “I didn’t mean to keep you up. I’m going to try to get some s—”</p><p>“I wasn’t really sleeping,” Katara interrupted.</p><p>“Oh,” he replied dumbly, trying not to look at how much of her skin showed between the wraps. “Either way I—”</p><p>“You know if you’re not going to let me heal you, the least you can do is not sleep in the polar bear doghouse. If you know what I mean,” she said matter-of-factly, and to his shock she scooted over towards the other side of the bed. “There’s plenty of space, so you shouldn’t sleep on the floor.”</p><p>Zuko’s throat became thick and his breath escaped him as he stood there, dumbstruck. “Uh...okay,” he answered, compelled by some urge to not cause her any more trouble than he already had. Or so he told himself. </p><p>Awkwardly he stumbled towards the bed and climbed onto it with care, favoring his right side. Keeping all of his clothing intact, he slid down onto his belly with his face turned towards the crackling fire, away from Katara. Still, he could hear her breathing next to him and quickly became overly aware of her every shift and movement on the mattress. She smelled of jasmine and cloves.</p><p>“Zuko?” she called out after a little while had passed.</p><p>He pretended like he’d been asleep. “Hmm?”</p><p>“Do you know anything about the Blue Spirit? I heard some of the cityfolk talking about him,” she said quietly.</p><p>The prince stiffened. Agni, why was she asking him such a thing? “Not really. Seems like a dumb idea, running around all vigilante style in a mask. Good way to land yourself in trouble,” he muttered into his pillow, unable to keep the bitterness from his voice.</p><p>“Yeah, maybe,” Katara agreed with a pause. Then she added, “I think it sounds kinda fun.”</p><p>“You would,” was his grumbled reply. His headache was absolutely unbearable now.</p><p>“What’s that supposed to mean?” she shot back from over his shoulder.</p><p>“It means a good helping of fear would serve you well,” Zuko replied, immediately thinking back to their conversation with his father on their wedding night. Really, her boldness was going to land her in hot water one of these days if she wasn’t careful. He <em> needed </em> her to be more careful. It wasn’t possible for him to watch out for her all the time, and with these new thugs in the picture...he shuddered to think of what could happen.</p><p>“Do you think fear serves <em> you </em> well?” she asked after a pause, like she’d debated whether or not to say it. For whatever reason, that struck a chord. It was a surface level question, but it dug deep. Pangs of guilt struck his heart.</p><p>“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said, his voice low as he continued to stare, unblinking into the fire. It danced and crackled, hot and provoking—such a contrast from her calm blue eyes.</p><p>“What are you afraid of?” she pried, shifting her weight behind him.</p><p>Zuko sighed, once more breathing in the scent of jasmine and cloves. It was a question he didn't care much for delving into, even if the idea of spilling his guts actually sounded cathartic for once. He wouldn't know where to start. After a long pause he just said, “More than I want to admit.”</p><p>He shut his eyes then, determined to find some sleep at last. He hardly noticed when a soft weight landed on his left shoulder, thinking it had to be a dream.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Payoff is coming, I swear! Hope y'all liked the chapter, please leave reviews! They make my life 100x better. :) Hope everyone is staying healthy and safe.</p>
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